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Great Mosque In Algiers


History


Djamaâ el Djazaïr is set to become the third biggest mosque in the world, with a prayer hall capable of holding 35,000 worshipers and a complex including conference rooms, libraries and other facilities. Architects Drees & Sommer are working with Jürgen Engel Architekten and the engineering consultancy Krebs und Kiefer on the project, which is likely to take more than four years to complete.

Description


The mosque complex will be built on a 440,000m2 footprint in the Bay of Algiers, land set aside by the Algerian government. Algeria’s hot and humid climate posed challenges for both the designers and engineers, while its seaside location has made salty air and potential high winds a major concern. The mosque’s façade is almost entirely formed from natural stone, which covers a total area of 95,000m2.

Design Concept

Jürgen Engel worked closely with Islamic scholars and architecture specialists to ensure that the building met the strict requirements of mosque design. Many Islamic ideas, such as the mashrabiya screen, have been given a modern makeover. The 264-metre high minaret is capped with a modern glass structure instead of traditional stone. Jürgen Engels Architect Sebastian Schöell explained that the height of the minaret was paramount. “I think it is the same thing as the skyscrapers, in North Africa everyone wants to have the tallest minaret,” he said.

The dome soars to a height of 70 metres and features a mashrabiya screen attached to the outside of the thermal shell like ribs. This gives the impression of the screen being an external support structure, although support is actually provided internally. Sunlight is reflected into the dome using a system of mirrors. The mashrabiya was made using fibre-reinforced precast concrete panels and covers a total area of 15,160m2. As well as having a decorative role, the mashrabiya helps to cool the building and provide shading to the façade of the minaret, on which it covers an area of 7,300m2.

Architect Schöell said that Jürgen Engel’s designs had got a mixed reaction in the media in Algeria. He has done his own canvassing, however, among taxi drivers on the streets of Algiers. “50% of them think that it’s a good idea, and 50% of them think that it is too much money to be spending,” he said. In terms of a Christian firm designing an Islamic place of worship, Schöell said that the client did not feel it was an issue. “They had no problem with it at all,” he said. “They said that all the new mosques, or the renovations of old mosques, were being designed by Christian architects.”

Press Release KSP 31.10.2011
As part of the celebrations of Algeria’s National holiday on November 1st the foundation stone for the new “Mosquée d’Algérie” will be laid at an official ceremony in Algiers to be attended by Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. This formal act will mark the beginning of the construction of the world’s third largest mosque after the Islamic pilgrimage sites in Mecca and Medina. With its prayer hall for up to 37,000 people and the approx. 265-meter high minaret, the Mosque will in future be one of the largest religious buildings in the Islamic world.

The complex offers space for up to 120,000 visitors daily and, in addition to the prayer hall and the minaret, boasts further facilities such as a cultural center, an Imam School, a library, apartments, a fire station, a museum, and a research center. Located a mere six kilometers east of the historical town center and not far from the airport, the new mosque complex, which has a gross surface area of approx. 400,000 square meters, is an important stimulus for the future development of adjacent districts. The new focal point combines religion, culture and research, while at the same time serving as a new center for the surrounding quarters.

Construction of the complex is due to commence in early 2012, once the requisite preparatory measures have been concluded. Commissioning is planned for 2016.The entire complex is being built on behalf of the Algerian government on the basis of plans drawn up by a consortium consisting of KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten and the engineering firm Krebs und Kiefer International in Darmstadt, Germany. In 2008 the design submitted by the consortium from Germany won the international competition, and the ceremony for the signing of the contract for the planning services was held in July 2008 in Algiers in the presence of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In the Bay of Algiers, east of the historical town center, the complex forms the main, initial element in a new urban development in Algiers. The center brings together various cultural and religious facilities as well as different educational institutions. A joint pedestal up to five meters high forms the base of the edifices that make up the Mosque complex, which are aligned from west to east on the raised plateau in the direction of Mecca. The entrance arcades and the minaret, the prayer courtyard and prayer hall for up to 37,000 worshippers are located here, staggered on a longitudinal piece of land extending along an axis in the direction of Mecca.

The Mosque’s Prayer Hall The prayer hall, or Salle de Prière, is a massive cube with a footprint measuring approx. 145 meters by 145 meters, and 22.5 meters high. A 45-meter high cube, slightly set back from the edge, bars the central dome. At its apex the latter reaches a height of some 70 meters and at its base is some 50 meters in diameter. The prayer hall, with its regular rows of pillars up to 45 meters in height, has room for up to 37,000 people. All the traditional religious elements such as the Qibla wall, the Mihrab, Minbar and Dikkah are integrated in a hall of modern aesthetics. Following the s architecture of traditional Islamic places of worship, the mosque’s outer skin is made of natural stone.

The mosque’s courtyard mediates between the religious prayer hall and the adjoining esplanade in the west, the open space featuring the main entrance and the adjoining forecourt.

Minaret Its use, design and size make the minaret unique in the history of Islam. Some 265 meters high, the minaret has the dimensions of a skyscraper. The lower floors open out invitingly to the plaza. Panorama elevators take visitors to the upper, public floors, which house the Museum of Algerian History. Above this there are two research areas known as the Research Center, which are accessible to accredited scholars only,. Semi-transparent ornamental elements (known as “Moucharabieh façade elements”) surround the tower like a second skin, while at the same time serving as protection from the sun. The top of the tower is open to the public. Here there is a viewing platform for visitors and honorary guests. At night the illuminated glass skin of the top of the minaret radiates, visible from afar, as a point of orientation in Algiers and its new landmark.

The Park The mosque complex is linked to the buildings in the south, namely the cultural centre, the library and the Imam School, by a spacious park. This landscaped outdoor area can house a large number of people and also offers a haven of tranquillity. Palm groves right round the mosque provide ample shade. Furthermore, fountains foster the overall sense of calm and concentration.

Cultural and educational buildings In terms of height and alignment the buildings in the south used for culture, such as the Cultural center, the library, and the Imam School with apartments for doctoral students take are based on the residential development bordering in the south, and existing traffic routes. These cultural buildings are a fundamental part of the Mosque complex (and indeed of the urban development area used for cultural and religious purposes), which is not only the center of life of all community members with regard to religious matters, but also the center of events and social life. The unity of these buildings, devoted as they are to the faith in, and teaching and practice of Islam, is also expressed in the architecture chosen.

The “Floral-Column” for the design throughout the edifice are The floral column with protruding capital serves as a design leitmotif linking all the areas of the ensemble. As a load-bearing structure and source of shade it also takes on functional duties, while satisfying technical requirements such as drainage and improvements to the acoustics, and furthermore structuring the entire complex.

Details

Location

N11, Mohammadia, Algeria

Worshippers

35,000

Owners

Ministry of Religious Affairs

Year of Build

2011 - 2019

Area

GSA (total surface) approx. 400,000 m²

Drawings

Map

History

Djamaâ el Djazaïr is set to become the third biggest mosque in the world, with a prayer hall capable of holding 35,000 worshipers and a complex including conference rooms, libraries and other facilities. Architects Drees & Sommer are working with Jürgen Engel Architekten and the engineering consultancy Krebs und Kiefer on the project, which is likely to take more than four years to complete.

Description

The mosque complex will be built on a 440,000m2 footprint in the Bay of Algiers, land set aside by the Algerian government. Algeria’s hot and humid climate posed challenges for both the designers and engineers, while its seaside location has made salty air and potential high winds a major concern. The mosque’s façade is almost entirely formed from natural stone, which covers a total area of 95,000m2.

Design Concept

Jürgen Engel worked closely with Islamic scholars and architecture specialists to ensure that the building met the strict requirements of mosque design. Many Islamic ideas, such as the mashrabiya screen, have been given a modern makeover. The 264-metre high minaret is capped with a modern glass structure instead of traditional stone. Jürgen Engels Architect Sebastian Schöell explained that the height of the minaret was paramount. “I think it is the same thing as the skyscrapers, in North Africa everyone wants to have the tallest minaret,” he said.

The dome soars to a height of 70 metres and features a mashrabiya screen attached to the outside of the thermal shell like ribs. This gives the impression of the screen being an external support structure, although support is actually provided internally. Sunlight is reflected into the dome using a system of mirrors. The mashrabiya was made using fibre-reinforced precast concrete panels and covers a total area of 15,160m2. As well as having a decorative role, the mashrabiya helps to cool the building and provide shading to the façade of the minaret, on which it covers an area of 7,300m2.

Architect Schöell said that Jürgen Engel’s designs had got a mixed reaction in the media in Algeria. He has done his own canvassing, however, among taxi drivers on the streets of Algiers. “50% of them think that it’s a good idea, and 50% of them think that it is too much money to be spending,” he said. In terms of a Christian firm designing an Islamic place of worship, Schöell said that the client did not feel it was an issue. “They had no problem with it at all,” he said. “They said that all the new mosques, or the renovations of old mosques, were being designed by Christian architects.”

Press Release KSP 31.10.2011
As part of the celebrations of Algeria’s National holiday on November 1st the foundation stone for the new “Mosquée d’Algérie” will be laid at an official ceremony in Algiers to be attended by Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. This formal act will mark the beginning of the construction of the world’s third largest mosque after the Islamic pilgrimage sites in Mecca and Medina. With its prayer hall for up to 37,000 people and the approx. 265-meter high minaret, the Mosque will in future be one of the largest religious buildings in the Islamic world.

The complex offers space for up to 120,000 visitors daily and, in addition to the prayer hall and the minaret, boasts further facilities such as a cultural center, an Imam School, a library, apartments, a fire station, a museum, and a research center. Located a mere six kilometers east of the historical town center and not far from the airport, the new mosque complex, which has a gross surface area of approx. 400,000 square meters, is an important stimulus for the future development of adjacent districts. The new focal point combines religion, culture and research, while at the same time serving as a new center for the surrounding quarters.

Construction of the complex is due to commence in early 2012, once the requisite preparatory measures have been concluded. Commissioning is planned for 2016.The entire complex is being built on behalf of the Algerian government on the basis of plans drawn up by a consortium consisting of KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten and the engineering firm Krebs und Kiefer International in Darmstadt, Germany. In 2008 the design submitted by the consortium from Germany won the international competition, and the ceremony for the signing of the contract for the planning services was held in July 2008 in Algiers in the presence of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In the Bay of Algiers, east of the historical town center, the complex forms the main, initial element in a new urban development in Algiers. The center brings together various cultural and religious facilities as well as different educational institutions. A joint pedestal up to five meters high forms the base of the edifices that make up the Mosque complex, which are aligned from west to east on the raised plateau in the direction of Mecca. The entrance arcades and the minaret, the prayer courtyard and prayer hall for up to 37,000 worshippers are located here, staggered on a longitudinal piece of land extending along an axis in the direction of Mecca.

The Mosque’s Prayer Hall The prayer hall, or Salle de Prière, is a massive cube with a footprint measuring approx. 145 meters by 145 meters, and 22.5 meters high. A 45-meter high cube, slightly set back from the edge, bars the central dome. At its apex the latter reaches a height of some 70 meters and at its base is some 50 meters in diameter. The prayer hall, with its regular rows of pillars up to 45 meters in height, has room for up to 37,000 people. All the traditional religious elements such as the Qibla wall, the Mihrab, Minbar and Dikkah are integrated in a hall of modern aesthetics. Following the s architecture of traditional Islamic places of worship, the mosque’s outer skin is made of natural stone.

The mosque’s courtyard mediates between the religious prayer hall and the adjoining esplanade in the west, the open space featuring the main entrance and the adjoining forecourt.

Minaret Its use, design and size make the minaret unique in the history of Islam. Some 265 meters high, the minaret has the dimensions of a skyscraper. The lower floors open out invitingly to the plaza. Panorama elevators take visitors to the upper, public floors, which house the Museum of Algerian History. Above this there are two research areas known as the Research Center, which are accessible to accredited scholars only,. Semi-transparent ornamental elements (known as “Moucharabieh façade elements”) surround the tower like a second skin, while at the same time serving as protection from the sun. The top of the tower is open to the public. Here there is a viewing platform for visitors and honorary guests. At night the illuminated glass skin of the top of the minaret radiates, visible from afar, as a point of orientation in Algiers and its new landmark.

The Park The mosque complex is linked to the buildings in the south, namely the cultural centre, the library and the Imam School, by a spacious park. This landscaped outdoor area can house a large number of people and also offers a haven of tranquillity. Palm groves right round the mosque provide ample shade. Furthermore, fountains foster the overall sense of calm and concentration.

Cultural and educational buildings In terms of height and alignment the buildings in the south used for culture, such as the Cultural center, the library, and the Imam School with apartments for doctoral students take are based on the residential development bordering in the south, and existing traffic routes. These cultural buildings are a fundamental part of the Mosque complex (and indeed of the urban development area used for cultural and religious purposes), which is not only the center of life of all community members with regard to religious matters, but also the center of events and social life. The unity of these buildings, devoted as they are to the faith in, and teaching and practice of Islam, is also expressed in the architecture chosen.

The “Floral-Column” for the design throughout the edifice are The floral column with protruding capital serves as a design leitmotif linking all the areas of the ensemble. As a load-bearing structure and source of shade it also takes on functional duties, while satisfying technical requirements such as drainage and improvements to the acoustics, and furthermore structuring the entire complex.