Generic mosque : design principles for mosque design

The concept of the “Generic Mosque” investigates the representation of contemporary Islamic practice in a secular context. It explores the idea of a mosque as a multifunctional space, through so-called Generative Design Principles, a set of conceptual design guidelines that I derived from my study of Islamic architectural history. These design principles enable designers to develop a stylistic and conceptual continuity with the past, while allowing them to execute spatial transformations in response to the social, political, economic, and technological changes that take place over time. By designing mosques based on these principles, I hope to deconstruct the present Islamophobic mood in Western Europe and the United States, and shift focus from the biased and politicized representations of Islam in favor of the universal beauty of artifacts from Islamic aesthetic culture.