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| Source: AIC website. Model of the AIC. |
An exhibition at the National Gallery Victoria, Glenn Murcutt: Architecture of Faith, celebrates architect Glenn Murcutt's work on the Australian Islamic Centre (AIC), which is currently being constructed in Newport/Hobsons Bay, Melbourne Australia. The initiative by the NIS will provide more facilities for the growing Islamic community. According to the NIS, there are currently more than 10,000 Muslims in the area.
Murcutt and Hakan Elevli of Elevli+ Architects, a Melbourne practice, worked with the Newport Islamic Society (NIS), a non-for-profit organisation, for nearly a decade on the creation of a contemporary Australian mosque and Islamic centre. Murcutt is well known for environmentally sensitive designs with a distinctive Australian character. His buildings are a blend of modernist sensibility, local craftsmanship and respect for nature.
Murcutt is the only Australian recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize which is awarded annually to “honour a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture".
Murcutt has reimagined the geometry, colours, materiality and spatial organisation of a traditional mosque to create an accessible contemporary place of worship, learning and community. The AIC adopts Murcutt’s ethos of design, maximising the climatic conditions and using materials which are related to local bluestone quarries and the Aboriginal heritage of the location.
The minaret, a traditional part of a mosque and where the call to prayer is made, has been eliminated in Murcutt's design. In the Australian context, the call to prayer or adhan can be announced internally, avoiding disruption to local communities of a different faith. Similarly, Murcutt has taken away the often-standard dome of the mosque, incorporating lanterns that extend over the main roof and orientated to capture the light at the different times of each day. A pool is designed to deflect the afternoon sun into the prayer hall and throw water reflections onto the ceiling and walls.
The establishment is designed to include worship, educational and recreational facilities and will be built in three phases:
Phase one:
- A mosque with approximately 1,200 sq m of prayer areas for both male and female worshippers.
- An Educational Centre consisting of a library and other facilities
- Offices
- Cafe and restaurant
- Imam’s residence
- Two guest houses
- A school with eight classrooms for Arabic and Islamic Studies
- Dedicated study areas
- Indoor recreational and functions centre
- Mens' gym
- Ladies' gym
- Multifunction Hall
The Australian Islamic Centre is at 23-31 Blenheim Rd, Newport, Victoria 3015, Australia. Check out construction milestones
Architecture of Faith is at NGV Australia, Federation Square, NGV Design Studio, Ground Level. The exhibition runs till 19 February 2017 and is open 10am to 5pm daily. Entry is free