Completion of the Abrahamic family house to embrace peaceful co

Completion of the Abrahamic family house to embrace peaceful coexistence,

Adjaye Associates for renowned architect David Adjaye has completed the Abrahamic Family House project that embraces “peaceful coexistence” in the Saadiyat Cultural District of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The Abrahamic Family House is a complex consisting of three separate houses of worship – a mosque, a church and a synagogue –

as well as common spaces for gathering and dialogue, representing the three monotheistic religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The Abrahamic Family House was officially opened to worshipers on February 16.

Access to the forum and guided tours for visitors started from March 1, 2023.

Adjaye Associates worked as the design architect, landscape architect and interior designer for this project.

Project features

The complex includes a total area of 6,500 square meters, and appears as a group of three religious spaces:

a mosque of 1,322 square meters, a church of 1,170 square meters, and a synagogue of 1,110 square meters.

There are also volumes in cube form on a fourth space consisting of a forum and an elevated garden.

Each volume has its own distinctive features with clear visual harmony, taking in its own religious references.

While each house of worship includes a courtyard with a water feature and additional spaces specific to its specific religious traditions and practices,

the houses are connected by an elevated garden – a shared space for gathering and communication.

The house will serve as a community for interfaith dialogue and exchange,

promoting the values of peaceful coexistence and acceptance among different faiths, nationalities and cultures.

In each of the houses of worship, visitors can celebrate religious rituals, listen to the Bible,

and experience sacred rituals.

Strong subterranean forms

The studio interprets the idea of form from the three religions, carefully using the lens to identify what is similar,

rather than what is different.

Using the power of these discoveries, the design is interpreted as “strong subterranean forms” sitting in a clear geometry: three cubes perched on a plinth.

Water and light become key elements to describe the narrative of each religion,

which manifests itself at different scales – from structure to detail and emerges through the elements of creation.

Each room is located within a courtyard with triangular water elements designed to cool the body.

Upon entering each house of worship, visitors are bathed in light while heated air from the surroundings is drawn towards the ornate ceilings, cooling the interior.

All three volumes, made of off-white concrete, deflect the heat of the sun and refer to the Emirati sands and mountains,

each shape oriented towards religious references while sitting within a unified garden.

Where architecture should perpetuate the kind of world we want to live in, a world of acceptance,

openness and continuous progress.

The practice wanted to create a building that would begin to rise above the idea of hierarchical difference and enhance the richness of human life.

The aim was for people of all faiths and all parts of society to learn and engage in the mission of peaceful coexistence for future generations,

through these buildings that celebrate the three religions.

Imam al-Tayyib Mosque

Pointing towards Mecca, the Imam al-Tayyib Mosque filters light through its walls,

and features over 470 operable panels of delicate latticework,

creating the mashrabiya that is one of the most impressive features of Islamic architecture – on a grand scale.

The mashrabiya allows air to circulate while regulating lighting and maintaining privacy.

Four monolithic monolithic columns represent Islamic doctrines of stability, order, and fullness,

and create a vaulting space that directs visitors toward the mihrab.

The single, completely opaque wall flows to give way to the simple stone niche,

bathed in chiseled light from the screens.

The interior is also visualized by an internal grid of four columns creating nine ascending vaults,

which direct visitors towards the mihrab.

The four pillars also refer to the Islamic concept of stability, order,

and fullness attributed to the number four.

These figures are constructed of concrete to give a sense of heaviness and wonder as one prepares for worship.

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