MODERN tradition
FILIGREE MOSQUE
For the small congregation that thinks big
DAVIS, CALIFORNIA / 2008
This mosque stands across from the UC Davis campus. It is a visible expression of the local Islamic community’s shared heritage and sense of belonging and an inviting icon of togetherness and openness to the larger town.
The congregation tasked me to completely transform the residential lot where they had gathered since 1982 for worship and social gatherings in a suburban tract home. The group had grown into a small but established passionate congregation of residents and UC Davis scholars from abroad. They wanted a visionary Islamic Center to serve as a place of worship and the community’s cultural heart.
I emphasized the mosque’s south face with a dome, minaret, and an intricately cut, blue steel façade facing the UC Davis campus, visible from blocks away. The steel’s repeating perforated geometric motifs are a modern interpretation recalling screens throughout the Islamic world. The brilliant blue merges Islamic architecture with reflections of the California sky.
MATERIALS
Residential neighborhood lot
Traditional blue color
Custom-cut, blue steel patterned façade
Minaret
Dome
Davis’ Little Blue Mosque Built With Community Support
Sacramento Bee / 2011
OBJECTS OF DESIRE: Creativity in the Capital Region is on an upswing
By Andrea Kennedy
Comstock’s Magazine / Dec 1, 2011
Islamic Center of Davis shares history
By Features Editor
The Aggie / June 4, 2012
PRESS
The mosque members are a global Muslim community from diverse regions spanning North Africa and the Middle East. To reflect this, I researched mosque architecture and function worldwide to uncover a shared vocabulary of ancient Islam: ritual space, geometry, and symbolic forms, translating these elements for the Central Valley setting.
While the façade aligns with the street, I turned the interior geometry 19 degrees to orient the prayer area toward Mecca. On the exterior, the steel cut-out patterns produce shifting shadows as the sun travels across the south-facing building through the day, echoing the rhythm of Islamic prayer times.
Cut-out letters in the steel create light and shadow, which play across the building’s entrance.
The community wanted an iconic building that was also affordable. Funding came from individual donations and pledges to help with the construction. Many of the membership and Muslim sub-contractors in the region participated in the construction, donating materials, labor, and funds. I embraced this strategy by designing a basic, stucco-clad wood frame and, as contributions permitted, adding elements evocative of Islamic culture, translated into locally available methods and materials. The result integrates lovingly handcrafted parts with modern techniques.
The program was ambitious for the small lot. The design maximizes the buildable area, pre-defined by setbacks established in cardinal directions.
I designed the rear as a muted, gabled form to blend into the single-family residential neighborhood. Still, inside, the mosque’s high windows invite sky views in the direction of prayer, looking towards the infinite.
The new center provides worship and gathering functions. It also houses a library, education programs, and public events for the Davis community. It is the heart of Islamic culture for the region and a resource and an open door to Islamic culture for those who wish to learn more.
Photos #1-2, 4-11 Jay Graham
Photos #3, 12-14 Ed Asmus