Client: Islamic Community of Kosovo
Type: open, one-stage, international
Location: Prishtina, Kosovo
Language: English
Fee: 100 EUROS
Eligibility: Architects licensed in their country of origin
Timetable:
28 December 2012 – Registration deadline
4 January 2013 – Q&A period ends
8 March 2013 – Submission deadline
Awards:
1st prize – EUR 25,000
2nd prize – EUR 15,000
3rd prize – EUR 10,000
Jury: TBD
Design Challenge:
According to the design brief:
“1. Distance factor – the area coverage radius. The distance of the residence to the mosque. The radius of the distance of 500 meters has been considered as a rule resulted from Islamic rulings. In case of Prishtina a very large area is uncovered by mosques which shows that the first condition is not fulfilled.
2.The factor of the needed prayer space in the mosque. In Prishtina the overall prayer space of all the mosques in the city is 8064.7 square meters sufficient for 10,189 persons. The municipality of Prishtina having 200 000 inhabitants
and assuming a number of 170 000 without the inhabitants of the villages around, we get these results: 16.7 inhabitants per praying place in a mosque. This is disregarding the high frequency of people of other places in the city during the working days. This analysis shows that the city of Prishtina is in an emergent need of constructing new mosques in all the neighborhoods required. A central mosque is also a great need considering the city’s growth which leads to the natural requisite of a new central dominating mosque proportional to the expansion of the city.
Project Goals:
– The ambition is to aim for building a landmark in the city of Prishtina and an architecture that stands the test of time.
– It should be representative on a level worthy of a Central Mosque of the city.
– Symbolic expression of Islamic identity and local tradition of the people of Kosovo and expression of the significance by holding the main role.
– The building should have a monumental mass and be warm, inviting and attractive at the same time, an open place for all the society.
– It should be a place of socialization and education and a place for manifesting the Islamic festivals.
– The mosque should be distantly visible based on the fact that mosques belong to the type of central buildings and that the visibility serves for orientation to it.
– The mosque should be incorporated into the urban context considering the surrounding built environment. However it should dominate the atmosphere proportionally to its significance as a monumental type of building and its importance in the hierarchy of mosques in the city.
– Orientation of the mosque towards the kiblah direction in a quite inappropriate situation where the kiblah wall forms the façade to the boulevard. The mosques entrance should be on the opposite of kiblah wall so the solution for this should be turned into an architectural quality.
For more information:
Kryesia e Bashkësisë Islame të Republikës së Kosovës BIRK
Bajram Kelmendi street, No.84
10 000 Prishtinë, Republic of Kosovo
Telephone: +381 38 245 700
Fax: +381 38 245 700
Promoters web page: www.bislame.net
Competition web page: www.cmprcompetition.com
