Al-Rawda Mosque which was inaugurated in September 2011 during the month of Ramadan, is located in the area of Badr Al Jadeeda in Amman. The project sits on a flat land at an intersection of three roads in a quiet neighbourhood of local style residential buildings among hills of greenery. The main challenge of the design was to explore new possibilities of the mosque typology yet maintaining the identity and spirituality of such an influential building. The work included the design of all aspects including architecture, interior design, furniture, woodworks, carpets, door handles, and all other items. This played a major role in implementing the concept on all elements in the project and carrying it to its full potential.

Upon entering the mosque the user is met with a roofed porch that has a verse of the Quran written in relief on the Ajloun stone front edge of the canopy, and a patterned steel structure to the left that is bottomed with a planter and topped with an opening to the sky to allow plants to climb on the structure and penetrate the canopy to the light. The passageway to the right leads to the ablution areas and is separated from the main street with a two-story high wall that is made with a pattern of glass reinforced concrete. This wall conceals the service area and shoe racks and at the same time allows light to penetrate and play on the stone with its shadows and patterns. The pattern used in these structures is a re-adaptation of a Siljuq pattern from the eastern Islamic lands. It was chosen for its uniqueness and geometric complexity and interest.

The main door of the mosque is an impressive four-meter high solid walnut wood door with a pattern engraved on it. It leads to a yet more fascinating space in the main prayer hall, which is a linear space directed towards Mecca with a suspended wooden perforated partition separating the women’s hall in the mezzanine, providing privacy yet maintaining engagement with the spirit of the mosque.

The concept of the building is to sculpt a contemporary spiritual space using light as the main tool in a minimal architectural language. The masses and openings are designed to respond to natural light throughout the day from the various angles and shapes of the windows. The large eastern glass façade of the main hall is paralleled with a six-meter high freestanding patterned wall that filters the morning light and allows it to penetrate the interior space forming a variety of patterns on the floors and emphasizing the Qur’anic verses inscribed on the walls. This light changes direction and shape with the change of sun angle until at noon it reaches the thin long strip of glass above the Karaki stone Mihrab, which is a Jordanian stone that is known for its deep grey colour and unique patterns. The light also emphasizes the calligraphed Qur’anic verses that are written in relief on the upper circumference of the space and reflects on the patterned ceiling and the five-meter dome exposing its multiple levels and depth. In the afternoon and at the time of the sunset prayer, the light penetrates from the western end through the long perforated wooden Minbar to again draw patterns of different scales and shapes on the simple carpeted blue floor also designed by the Atelier using simple Islamic patterns.

When we started working on the design of Al-Rawda Mosque in Amman, the initial challenge was creating a contemporary mosque while at the same time preserving the spiritual essence and the Islamic identity of such an important religious building, and employing patterns was an important factor in establishing the connection with the traditional Islamic art of decoration.

The unique design of the tiles for Al-Rawda mosque establishes a contemporary version of the ancient mathematical sophistication using modern construction techniques and marking the beginning to a new generation in the production of Islamic patterns.

The design of Al-Rawda Mosque aimed at challenging the pre-conceived, historically overused, architectural image of the local mosque. It is about revolting against the mindless use of what is perceived to be “Islamic” in architecture including arches, columns, domes, over-decorated walls and ceilings. While Islamic architecture may have extensively employed these elements historically, they were essential functional and cultural constructs that reflected the progressiveness of the Islamic state. As we are in a technologically advanced time, the contemporary mosque needs to reflect the spirit of its age in its simplicity, minimalism, and employment of technology and employ that to create a highly spiritual inclusive space.

Al-Rawda Mosque redefines the traditional elements of mosque and transforms them into contemporary architectural elements by simplifying form and employing digitally produced patterns as functional and decorative elements at the same time. It eliminated columns in the prayer hall, transformed the dome into an inverted light well, and celebrated the minaret as an urban landmark. The design of the women’s prayer hall defied the abundant local practice of placing this space in an isolated, underground basement where they were completely excluded from the main activity. The prayer hall was raised from the basement to the mezzanine in the main space, separated by a patterned screen maintaining privacy yet allowing for the experiential connection to the main religious and social activity.

As a small local mosque with limited maintenance and operational capacities, designing for sustainability was an imperative pillar in the strategy. Inspired by the history of passive climate control in the architecture of mosques and by the local Jordanian practices and environmental conditions, the strategy consisted of the following principles and techniques: -Patterned exterior screens provide shading elements for the large glass façades. These were positioned to provide maximum sun protection during the day -The placement and design of openings for maximum cross ventilation to achieve passive cooling and allow continuous flow of fresh air -Photovoltaic system on the roof that covers the consumption of the mosque, reducing its carbon footprint and running costs -Water conserving fittings and outlets to limit water consumption in a water scarce urban environment -The landscaping and plantation using local drought tolerant plants according to the local guidelines of Water Conserving Landscapes -High thermal insulation in the stone masonry walls built according to local construction methods with multiple layers of stone, concrete and insulation to achieve high efficiency. The same for the roof structure and underground levels -Double glazing for all glass facades with insulation aluminium sections and air tight  joints to minimize thermal losses and maximize insulation  Therefore, the environmental concept employs all passive and locally abundant techniques resulting in a sustainable, low footprint, easily maintained building with human friendly and comfortable micro climate.