Faith In The City: The Mosque in the Contemporary Urban West 

Keynote lecture and day of debate on 10-11 November 2011, as forum for discussion of ideas and case studies of recent mosque and faith building design from across Europe, alongside a close investigation into historic precedents for the integration of minorities within the urban context and a suggestion of possible progressive future scenarios.

An exploration of the current contemporary moment and a platform for discussion of alternative ways in which architecture can give form to faith and aid in navigating the dynamics between organisations, communities and their neighbours; private practice and the public communication of belief. The seminar sessions looked at architects’ struggles between tradition and modernity in mosque design, the role that architecture can play in integrating faith based minorities, the place of religion in a broadly secular Western urban fabric, and the differences between British, European and other Western contexts.

A collaboration between Openvizor, The Architecture Foundation and Arts Council England’s Arts and Islam programme.

With contributors including

Michel Abboud, architect, Principal of SOMA; architectural consultants for the Park51 Islamic Cultural Centre in New York City, US.

Ergün Erkoçu, architect, author, and Creative Director, Concept 0031 (The Hague) and Cihan Bugdaci, Director,Gentlemen A.R.T. Architects of the Polder Mosque (unrealised) and co-authors of the book The Mosque: Political, Architectural and Social Transformations

Foreign Architects Switzerland, a platform for alternative ideas, projects, and people; responsible for the post-minaret-ban ideas competition for an Islamic Centre in Zurich.

Lukas Feireiss, curator, writer, artist and editor, Studio Lukas Feireiss (Berlin). Editor of Closer To God: Religious Architecture and Sacred Spaces and Beyond Architecture: Imaginative Buildings and Fictional Cities

Alen Jasarevic, architect and founder, Jasarevic Architekten (Mering, Germany); architects of the Penzberg Islamic Forum

Ali Mangera, architect and co-founder, Mangera Yvars Architects (London/Barcelona/Doha); architects of the experimental, un-built and highly contested Abbey Mills Mosque, originally due to be located near the East London’s Olympic site; The North London Cultural Centre, North Harrow (planning permission October 2011) and The Qatar University (on-site development from Winter 2011). Mangera Yvars Architects is an architectural design studio established in 2001 by Ali Mangera and Ada Yvars Bravo, based in Barcelona and London with affiliate offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha.

Dr. Noah Nasser, Acting Director, Urban Renaissance Institute, University of Greenwich. Founder, Centre for Urban Design Outreach and Skills (CUDOS), Birmingham City University

Ziauddin Sardar, writer, broadcaster, cultural critic, Visiting Professor, School of Arts, City University, London

Documentary credits Camera by Tijmen Veldhuizen Produced by Abbas Nokhasteh Directed by Andrés Borda González

Ergün Erkoçu (Concept 0031) and Cihan Bugdaci (Gentlemen A.R.T): The Poldermosque – A Pluricultural Reality. At this time the world is changing and ways of looking at things are established through different perspectives; our focus is on three main elements – pluriculturality, interdisciplinary approaches, and informal vs. formal uses. The pluriform-cultural/pluricultural compilation of the community is no longer deniable and therefore an important factor to take into account when talking about or creating for the community. Ergün Erkoçu, architect, author, and Creative Director, Concept 0031 (The Hague) and Cihan Bugdaci, Director,Gentlemen A.R.T. Architects of the Polder Mosque (unrealised) and co-authors of the book The Mosque: Political, Architectural and Social Transformations.