Zebun Nessa Mosque in Ashulia
Studio Morphogenesis 

Zebun Nessa Mosque in Ashulia

Studio Morphogenesis 


This mosque, built in concrete pigmented with reddish tones, is located in a fast-growing industrial area of Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. A factory owner decided to build it for his employees and in memory of his deceased mother. The project, led by architect Saiqa Iqbal Meghna of Studio Morphogenesis, is inserted into the industrial grounds as a spiritual-social space for the workers.

The floor plan of the mosque is organized around simple geometrical shapes, with a square surrounding a circular volume crowned with a dome, without supports, over the prayer space. The outer square curves eastward and westward, and the elevated northeast corner is where the main entrance is.

As the climate is hot and humid, the Muslim temple has thick concrete walls with small rectangular holes that filter light and induce natural ventilation, resulting in a pavilion that 'breathes.'

In this mosque, the quibla – which indicates the direction of Muslim prayer, towards Mecca – is defined by a wide arched opening in the curved wall. The mihrab, made of pieces of translucent glass, is placed over a pond, evoking the central niche of the quibla, towards which the gaze of the faithful is turned during prayer.

The mosque’s southeast courtyard harbors a metal staircase that leads to to the upper level, which is reserved for the women workers of the industrial complex. This space serves both as a meeting room and as a place for the women to worship in. A Chhatim tree is planted near the staircase so that during flowering, the space is filled with its fragrance.