EAA: Sancaklar Mosque

With their project for the Sancaklar Mosque, Istanbul, Emre Arolat Architects aim to address the fundamental issues of designing a mosque by distancing itself from the current architectural discussions based on form and focusing solely on the essence of religious space.

Emre Arolat Architects, Sancaklar Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Designed by Emre Arolat Architects, the Sancaklar Mosque is located in Buyukçekmece, a suburban neighborhood in the outskirts of Istanbul.
The project site is located in a prairie landscape that is separated from the surrounding suburban gated communities by a busy highway. The high walls surrounding the park on the upper courtyard of the mosque depict a clear boundary between the chaotic outer world and the serene atmosphere of the public park. The long canopy stretching out from the park becomes the only architectural element visible from the outside.
Emre Arolat Architects, Sancaklar Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Emre Arolat Architects, Sancaklar Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey

The building is located below this canopy and can be accessed from a path from the upper courtyard through the park. The building blends in completely with the topography and the outside world is left behind as one moves through the landscape, down the hill and in between the walls to enter the mosque.

The interior of the mosque, a simple cave like space, becomes a dramatic and awe inspiring place to pray and be alone with God. The slits and fractures along the Qiblah wall enhances the directionality of the prayer space and allows daylight to filter into the prayer hall.

The project constantly plays off of the tension between man-made and natural. The contrast between the natural stone stairs following the natural slope of the landscape and the thin reinforced concrete slab spanning over 6 meters to form the canopy helps enhance this dual relationship.


Sancaklar Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Program: mosque
Architects: EAA-Emre Arolat Architects
Chief architect: Emre Arolat
Project Team: Uygar Yüksel, Leyla Kori, Nil Aynalı, Fatih Tezman, Nurdan Gürlesin
General Contractor: Sancaklar Foundation
Structural Project: Balkar Engineering
Mechanical Project:
Setta Engineering
Electrical Project:
HB teknik
Landscape Design:
Emre Arolat Architects, Medosa
Lighting Design:
SLD – Piero Castiglioni
Acoustics:
Sey Consulting
Calligraphy: Mehmed Özçay
Client: Sancaklar Foundation
Owner:
Republic of Turkey Presidency of Religious Affairs
Area: 1,200 sqm
Completion: 2014

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