A mosque complex in ankara

Completed in the spring of 2023, this proposal for a new mosque and cultural center includes educational spaces, residential quarters, and a lutherie and music performance hall. The hierarchy of architectural language, at its most formal, learns from works by Sinan and high-style Ottoman buildings. The building presents a less formal face towards its surrounding neighborhood, and reflects traditional Seljuk architecture and the local vernacular.

The site plan of the complex learns from typical traditional Islamic organizational techniques. Rather then the classical approach of shifting axes and hinges, irregular sites in Islamic architecture are typically filled by multiple buildings which each follow their own rigidly orthographic layouts.

The complex uses terracing to negotiate a significant slope. The east building is more vernacular and houses shops, performance spaces and the lutherie. The west building is more formal and includes the mosque and educational and residential wings.

This split axonometric detail shows the performance hall, which incorporates arabesque and geometric ornament. The hall uses the heavy timber construction used by many other historic Seljuk buildings in the area.

Detailed study was made of the construction techniques needed to construct such a building. Parts of the building include modern CMU backing walls, while others use traditional load-bearing masonry.