Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque
This mandate came directly from Sheikh Zayed. The building shell of the enormous mosque, named after him, was already under construction and the project was to be appraised with a critical, open mind – every single part of it, from parking field to Prayer Hall. We were to make suggestions for eliminating or ameliorating the numerous building defects that had been listed in a detailed, highly critical report. We instantly noticed the shortcomings: defects, mistakes, errors! No wonder, inasmuch as the gigantic structure was built according to plans based on an image painted by local architects, which was then poured in concrete. A painted dream that suddenly materialized as a colossus, looking for all the world like quintessential luxury hotel architecture rather than a mosque. A far cry from the great historical predecessors in Damascus, Cairo, Istanbul or Córdoba. We made it a condition that our work would be conducted in direct dialogue with the client. We wanted to know whether we were moving in the desired direction.
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