*유기적인 형태의 모스크 사원 [ Fluid Motion Architects ] Vali-e-Asr Mosque

이란 수도 테헤란에 새로운 건축물이 완공됩니다. 독특한 유기적인 형태의 건물은 예배를 드리는 이슬람사원 입니다. 기존 진부한 형식의 큰 돔과 성당형식을 피하면서 겸허한 자세로 주변건물과 인근에 위치한 공원과 조화로운 도시구조를 생성합니다. 메카방향으로 기울어지며 상승하는 전체 볼륨은 내부공간의 리드믹컬한 공간감을 제공하는 동시에 매력적인 건축을 완성 시킵니다.

Centrally located in the Iranian capital Tehran, the Vali-e-Asr Mosque’s most distinguishing aspect is the fact that it does not look like a mosque. Designed by Iranian architects Reza Daneshmir and Catherine Spiridonoff of Fluid Motion Architects, the building eschews the stereotypical typology of large domes and tall minarets in favour of a modest horizontality thereby making the mosque harmoniously co-exist with the surrounding buildings and adjacent park. Organically rising from the street level towards Mecca, in a tiered configuration of concave and convex strips that create a spectacular interior, the Mosque’s gentle slope allows the building not only to become part of the public space but to also make it more inviting while enhancing the sense of spirituality.

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The mosque’s tradition-defying design proved quite controversial in conservative Iran; in fact the history of its construction is as interesting as the finished building. The project was initially spearheaded by one of Tehran’s previous mayors who envisioned a grand dome of 55 metres in height overshadowing the adjacent pre-revolutionary City Theatre as a religious statement in an area that also hosts the country’s most prestigious university and some of the city’s largest bookstores. Following popular opposition due to its oversized scale, the project was put on hold for two years until 2007 when Fluid Motion Architects were commissioned to produce a new design which nonetheless had to incorporate those parts of the old design that had already been built. The new design’s controversial modesty brought about legal challenges from prominent conservative circles that resulted in delays and budgetary constraints. It may have taken more than 10 years for the Vali-e-asr Mosque to be finished but Fluid Motion’s innovative design was well worth it.

Rising from the street level to the height of the neighbouring City Theatre, the mosque is organically interweaved into the public space, neither eclipsing nor being eclipsed by the surrounding cultural institutions. “We tried to create an interaction between the mosque, which has a cultural essence, and the City theatre” the architects explain. “We wanted to make it a cultural project that would be in harmony with its surroundings.” To do so, they looked back in time, finding inspiration in the 7th century Quba Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia, which dates back to the lifetime of the prophet Muhammad and is considered to be the first mosque in Islam.

from yatzer