Marina Tabassum Architects, Bait Ur Rouf Jame Mosque, Faidabad, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2012.
The initial idea is to search for the essence if Islam devoid of ritualistic and symbolic attributes - To question conventional typology; to hark back to the time of the beginning - to question 'WHAT IS A MOSQUE'. According to Qur'an: IN THE HOUSES [of worship] which God has allowed to be raised so that His name be remembered in them, there [are such as] extol His limitless glory at morn and evening - (Qur'an, 24:36) Mosque is essentially a place of congregation of devoted Muslims, gathered in brotherhood facing qibla in submission to one God, Omni present.
It is a clearly defined space directed towards Ka'ba. Clarity of space is prerequisite as there is no mystic myth to ponder up on, no hierarchy. A carefully scaled and proportioned volume that is contemplative in nature is evenly lit to enhance the feeling of all as equal. Light remains at the core of the design.
Text source: Marina Tabassum Architects
©2026 Marina Tabassum Architects. All Rights Reserved.
The initial idea is to search for the essence if Islam devoid of ritualistic and symbolic attributes - To question conventional typology; to hark back to the time of the beginning - to question 'WHAT IS A MOSQUE'. According to Qur'an: IN THE HOUSES [of worship] which God has allowed to be raised so that His name be remembered in them, there [are such as] extol His limitless glory at morn and evening - (Qur'an, 24:36) Mosque is essentially a place of congregation of devoted Muslims, gathered in brotherhood facing qibla in submission to one God, Omni present.
It is a clearly defined space directed towards Ka'ba. Clarity of space is prerequisite as there is no mystic myth to ponder up on, no hierarchy. A carefully scaled and proportioned volume that is contemplative in nature is evenly lit to enhance the feeling of all as equal. Light remains at the core of the design.
Text source: Marina Tabassum Architects
©2026 Marina Tabassum Architects. All Rights Reserved.
Christian Kerez, Bahrain Parking for the Pearl Path, Muharraq, Bahrain, 2017-2020.
Seeking to transcend the usual parking structures and turn them into useful public spaces for the city, Christian Kerez has taken the principes of the ‘free section’ to the next level, and has occupied four sites in the center of Muharraq with his constant geometrical exploration and his usual constructive rigor.
Thus, they disappear on the ramps, and it is the floor slabs that, in an almost surrealist manner, fold from concave to convex until joining the different levels in a continuous route. Despite the complexity of the forms, the structural system is reduced to the usual scheme of slabs and pillars, executed with wooden formwork and common scaffolding.
However, the results are far from conventionalism and create a unique ensemble that offers a spatial experience in constant flux.
text source: AV
Photo ©Maxime Delvaux
Seeking to transcend the usual parking structures and turn them into useful public spaces for the city, Christian Kerez has taken the principes of the ‘free section’ to the next level, and has occupied four sites in the center of Muharraq with his constant geometrical exploration and his usual constructive rigor.
Thus, they disappear on the ramps, and it is the floor slabs that, in an almost surrealist manner, fold from concave to convex until joining the different levels in a continuous route. Despite the complexity of the forms, the structural system is reduced to the usual scheme of slabs and pillars, executed with wooden formwork and common scaffolding.
However, the results are far from conventionalism and create a unique ensemble that offers a spatial experience in constant flux.
text source: AV
Photo ©Maxime Delvaux
Kéré Architecture, Gando Teachers’ Housing, Gando, Burkina Faso, 2004.
Collaborators: Community of Gando.
Size: 440 sqm (gross floor area), 390 sqm (area of intervention).
Client: Community of Gando / Kéré Foundation e.V.
The Gando Teachers’ Housing was conceived as a response to the challenge of attracting qualified teachers to join the staff at Gando Primary School, completed three years prior. The provision of quality housing, for both teachers and their families, aims to act as an incentive to draw skilled individuals away from cities towards more remote, rural areas of the country. The houses are made up of a series of adaptable modules, comparable in size to the surrounding vernacular typology, which can be combined in various ways into larger composites, depending on evolving needs. The six units are arranged in a wide arc to the south of the school complex. This curvilinear layout is reminiscent of a traditional Burkinabè compound. The project promotes the use of sustainable building materials by adapting traditional construction methods in innovative ways. Adobe walls, customarily used in the region, stand on cement and granite foundations to protect them from the rising dampness of the earth and are shielded from damaging wind-driven rains by a generous overhang of the corrugated iron roof coverings.
Text source: Kéré Architecture
Photos © Iwan Baan, Erik-Jan Ouwerkerk.
©2026 Kéré Architecture. All Rights Reserved
Collaborators: Community of Gando.
Size: 440 sqm (gross floor area), 390 sqm (area of intervention).
Client: Community of Gando / Kéré Foundation e.V.
The Gando Teachers’ Housing was conceived as a response to the challenge of attracting qualified teachers to join the staff at Gando Primary School, completed three years prior. The provision of quality housing, for both teachers and their families, aims to act as an incentive to draw skilled individuals away from cities towards more remote, rural areas of the country. The houses are made up of a series of adaptable modules, comparable in size to the surrounding vernacular typology, which can be combined in various ways into larger composites, depending on evolving needs. The six units are arranged in a wide arc to the south of the school complex. This curvilinear layout is reminiscent of a traditional Burkinabè compound. The project promotes the use of sustainable building materials by adapting traditional construction methods in innovative ways. Adobe walls, customarily used in the region, stand on cement and granite foundations to protect them from the rising dampness of the earth and are shielded from damaging wind-driven rains by a generous overhang of the corrugated iron roof coverings.
Text source: Kéré Architecture
Photos © Iwan Baan, Erik-Jan Ouwerkerk.
©2026 Kéré Architecture. All Rights Reserved