Designed by Saika Iqbal Meghna of Dhaka-based Studio Morphogenesis, Zebun Nessa Mosque in Gajl Chat, Ashulia District, Bangladesh is a monolithic structure that abstractly mimics the core principles of monotheism that are the bedrock of Islam. Characterized by the use of a single material and color, its clean monolithic mass casts a spiritual and iconic presence in the Gajl Chat suburb of Dhaka city, which is adorned with mid-rise buildings and industrial structures of various colors and styles. Its shallow, thin shell dome, which rises free-standing above the mosque’s perforated curved walls, further enhances the unique and unrestrained expanse of the prayer hall inside. Built on a high plinth and perpetually bathed in pink, Zebun Nessa Mosque stands out in the city despite its low height.
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The Zebn Nessa Mosque is located on the shores of Lake Durga. Image: Asif Salman -
The mosque is located in a city dotted with mid-rise buildings. Image: Asif Salman
The mosque’s location on the banks of Lake Durga and in the middle of a burgeoning industrial area creates a spiritual space on the site and also serves as a place of relaxation for employees and residents of the area. This form and the mosque’s attribution as a spiritual and social complex built to foster mutual compassion and trust between owners and workers, and among themselves, is in keeping with the client’s desire to remember his late mother by infusing a touch of gentleness into the bleak industrial area. The client, who is also an owner of a nearby industry, further honoured his mother’s memory by naming Zebun Nessa Mosque after her.
In line with the client’s wishes and Meghna’s vision of a “breathing pavilion,” the mosque’s design incorporates elements that allow natural light to flow into the interior and facilitate ventilation. For example, small rectangular recesses have been cut into the walls of the structure, allowing diffused light and air to flow into the space. Because the mosque is located in a hot and humid region, the architects designed the space to maintain natural ventilation without the use of artificial air conditioning. The structure is designed to allow air to flow through several openings, passing over a nearby body of water and an artificial water pool on the mosque grounds. Jarith This creates a cooling breeze that flows into the prayer hall inside and over the surface of the raised platform outside. The mosque’s doors and other windows are also made of perforated metal sheets to ensure the passage of breezes during heavy monsoons. “All these features establish the very idea of a ‘breathing pavilion’, an architectural form deeply rooted in this tropical climate,” says the architecture studio.
Moreover, the mosque’s mass, which is circular when viewed from above, is enclosed within a sinuous rectangular shell, resulting in four closed edges that act as gardens and light courtyards for the indoor spaces. The curves and curves built into the eastern and western faces of the outer rectangular volume are designed in response to the shape of the site. Making use of these curves, the Bangladeshi architecture firm positioned the mosque’s entrance at the northeastern hanging corner of the curved wall, an end that also faces the existing nexus of the industrial estate’s two main internal roads.
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of Mihrab Inside the Zebn Nessa Mosque there are glass panels fixed over the site’s body of water. Image: Asif Salman -
There is a women’s area on the mezzanine floor. Image: Asif Salman
about Qibla This space, facing the inner wall of the mosque, is defined by a wide arched opening, unlike the western walls of conventional mosques. Mihrab In the architecture of the mosque, there is a niche that determines the direction of prayer. In the Zebn Nessa Mosque, this Mihrab Instead, translucent glass panels, handcrafted from locally sourced pieces of glass, have been installed in a shallow body of water within the mosque. “The reflective body of water connects the turquoise mosaic interior to the existing pond via an arched opening, allowing the prayer space to flow seamlessly into a light-filled, infinity space,” reads an excerpt from the press release.
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A staircase in the southeast courtyard leads to a women’s only area of the mosque. Image: Asif Salman -
The upper floor is a prayer and meeting space for women. Image: Asif Salman
The mosque’s southeast courtyard features a perforated metal staircase leading to a crescent-shaped upper level planned for the industrial park’s female workers. The space serves as both a prayer and meeting place for women. Chatim trees are planted near the staircase, filling the space with fragrance. A partially covered ablution area was designed by Studio Morphogenesis to induce spirituality during the act of ablution and cleansing oneself for prayer. Water from the ablution area, separated by a turquoise floor representing tranquility, is directed into the garden, creating a replenishable closed-loop cycle with no waste.
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Bathing area and stairs leading to the mezzanine level Image: Asif Salman -
The bathing area has a turquoise mosaic floor that evokes a sense of tranquility. Image: Asif Salman
The mosque’s thick, stained concrete walls are double-layered, which creates a microclimate within the space and ensures a comfortable temperature. In a humid region, the use of locally sourced concrete avoids moisture within the structure and ensures its durability. The rusty pink hue contrasts with the cooler turquoise-colored mosaic flooring, with its warmer tones. “The broken brick mosaic work on the exterior is an innovative interpretation of time-honored terrazzo and mosaic flooring, using broken brick fragments instead of marble,” say the architects. Another aspect of the mosque’s design that draws inspiration from ancient practices is its position on a high plinth, which is reminiscent of the form of traditional houses built on plinths. Bitty or the deltaic hills of Bangladesh.
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A cool breeze flows over the water into the indoor prayer room. Image: Asif Salman -
Detail of a perforated concrete wall Image: Asif Salman
As mentioned above, the combination of crushed brick and traditional terrazzo used for the flooring on the exterior parts of the building increases friction, making it safer and easier to move around the mosque’s large spaces. The innovative use of various local materials within the mosque encourages local craftsmanship rather than using prefabricated building materials. In addition to the locally sourced terrazzo, brick and perforated cast-colored concrete surfaces, almost 40 percent of the formwork material used during the mosque’s construction was obtained from old formwork material used in the adjacent laundry building.
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Axonometric view of the mosque showing different structural details Image courtesy: Saika Iqbal Meghna -
Plan and section of Zebn Nessa Mosque Image courtesy: Saika Iqbal Meghna
Not only is the concrete architecture of the Zebn Nessa Mosque visually and experientially stunning for both visitors and those viewing it from afar, it is also an excellent example of conscientious design practice: the use of cost-effective thin shell domes, the excellent and efficient means of covering large spans, the way in which materials are optimised, the innovative composition of the mosaic floors, and the integration of water bodies and channels. Jarith To regulate the microclimate, builders have used local knowledge and techniques and sought innovative ways to integrate structures and aesthetics that are aesthetically pleasing and help mitigate the effects of the local climate.
Project Details
name: Zeb’n Nessa Mosque
position: Ashlia, Bangladesh
area: 6,060 sq. ft.
Year of completion: 2023
Name of Architectural Consultant Firm: Studio Morphogenesis Inc.
Lead Architect: Saika Iqbal Meghna
Design Team: Subhro Sobon Chowdhury, Muntasir Hakim, Shahra Karim Kabir, Minhaz Bin Ghaffar
Structural consultant: Time stamp
construction: IDS Address Maker
Metal staircase structure consultant: Faisal Anwar
Electrical consultant: Eyashin Ahmad
Piping Consultant: Md. Shafiqul Bari, Shah Newaz Kabir
Glass Mihrab: In collaboration with artist Wakilur Rahman
client: Idris Shakur
