Subject

Place for Worship

 

Objective

Urban acupuncture

 

Location

Woensel-West Eindhoven (NL)

 

Course

Second semester of the course

 

Year

2012

Place for Worship Urban acupuncture for urban development
The Woensel-West district in Eindhoven counts 1850 pre-WW II houses in total, 2/3 of which are social rental housing. The assignment was to redesign one of the corners of the main street of the area (Edisonstraat), and redefine the program of the building in relation to the existing urban grid. The proposed concept was to design a Masjid, also called a ‘little mosque” or ‘place to pray’. The Arabic word masjid means the place of worship and are small spaces used as a place for prayers. The Masjid would host the large local Muslim community in the district, which includes: prayer halls, ablution spaces, a multifunctional space for social activities and a public courtyard. Brick was used, as the main material, which represents purity of faith. The final design, which is showcased at the Dutch Desing Week in Eindhoven (NL), was the result of working with several models, different brick bonds, research of Masjid’s history and and trying to find the shape which would integrate into the area the most.