Islamic Cemetery Altach
Special Mention at EUROPEAN PRIZE FOR URBAN PUBLIC SPACE 2014
- "See all winners":http://goo.gl/AOC5fT
First burial place for Muslims in Vorarlberg.
A Project for exemplary cultural dialog, analysis and research.
On the religious level, the subtle simplicity of the cemetery’s’ design and its interaction with the surrounding nature provide a calm and dignified place for spiritual contemplation. Open and clearly laid out overall concept. Pragmatic and with very little symbolism the project is simply and unobtrusively integrated into the landscape.
The architect worked with the idea of the cemetery as a primordial garden– a recurring theme across different religious traditions. To create a garden means to demarcate a lot of land to cultivate and set off from its surroundings. The design is based on the beliefs and their funeral rites, which in turn say a lot about the particular understanding of nature and social relations.
Five Graveyards like the fingers of a hand. A system of concrete walls of varying heights in a stray meadow. These walls create distinct spaces – oriented towards Mecca.
The visitor enters a partially roofed space large enough to accommodate a congregation and a crowd of mourners.
This space opens onto the courtyard and is characterized by a lively play of light and shadow coming from an ornamental marquetry in a wall – bearing an octagonal motif in accordance with Islamic tradition.
This subtle filter between in- and outdoor and a small prayer space (mescid) are essentially for the identity and recognition of the place.
Prayer Room has Prayer niche (mihrab) with a window facing towards Mecca. Metal-mesh curtains are situated in front of a whitewashed wooden wall and the window; gold-plated wooden shingles have been woven into the curtains to spell out the Arabic words Allah and Mohammed.
Location: Altach, Vorarlberg. Austria
Property size: 8400m2
Property owner: Vorarlberger Gemeindeverband
Graves: compactly organized grave area with bench
700 graves in the final possible
Rooms:
Ablution (ritual washing)
Small prayer room (Mescid)
Utility rooms
Covered area for adoption
Total site area: 8415m²
Ground floor area: 4235m²
Building floor area: 468m²
Winner project of Aga Khan Award for Architecture
