Mosque Architecture Now: Symposium

Historically, mosques have been at the forefront of architectural and construction innovation, serving as hubs of cutting-edge craftsmanship. This event aims to highlight a resurgence in this tradition within contemporary mosque architecture, focusing on how recent designs are embracing sustainability and providing social and environmental benefits. This paradigm shift signifies a move away from the prevalent historicist and pastiche approaches towards a more innovative ethos in mosque design.

Exemplary contemporary case studies will be presented, demonstrating innovations in construction systems, passive strategies, landscape integration, energy use, and programming. These advancements not only enhance the function and aesthetic of mosques but also offer insights and practices that could be beneficial across various faith-based spaces and the architectural discipline. In North America, where many mosques are situated in repurposed buildings due to high real estate costs and limited funds—since mosques are funded primarily by benefactors—discussions on best practices in adaptive reuse and exemplary climate resilient case studies are particularly pertinent and timely.

The event is led by a distinguished team of scholars and practitioners: architect/ engineer and Associate Professor Aziza Chaouni from the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design and Assistant Professor Ruba Kana’an, a historian of Islamic art and architecture at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Over the course of two days, the event will engage students, architects, researchers, and the public.

Schedule to be announced shortly.