Mostafa Alani, Akel Kahera “Contextualized computations: a multi-objective optimization approach for designing contextually responsive building envelopes”, Open House International, 27 June 2023; Kahera, Akel, “The Prophets Mosque at Madina”, in The Religious Architecture of Islam, vol 1 ed. H.U. Khand and K. Moore (eds), Brepols, Turnhout, Belgium, 2022. 100-107;Kahera, Akel. “Cairo’s Urban Parks: Space, Place and Meaning” in, Contemporary Urban Landscapes of the Middle East, Ed. M. Gharipour (Routledge, UK, 2016) 171-89.
Personal Biography
Akel Ismail Kahera Ph.D., is a Professor of Islamic Architecture and Urbanism at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar, and a member of the board of trustees of The International Network For Traditional Building and Urbanism (INTBAU). Dr. Kahera is an architect/urbanist and design critic with over twenty-five years of experience in the MENA region and the United States. He graduated from Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture and later completed graduate studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University, and has published over three dozen peer-reviewed academic papers, book chapters, encyclopedia entries, and four books: The Place of the Mosque: Genealogies of Space, Knowledge and Power (Rowan & Littlefield/ Lexington Press 2022) Reading the Islamic City: Discursive Practices & Legal Judgment (Rowan & Littlefield/ Lexington Press, Maryland; 2012), Deconstructing the American Mosque : Space, Gender and Aesthetics (University of Texas Press, 2002/2008), and Design Criteria for Mosques (Architectural Press, Oxford, UK; 2009).
Shimaa Basheir Architect , College of Islamic Studies Hamad Bin Khalifa University Doha Qatar
Paper Abstract
Akel I. Kahera Ph.D.
Shimaa Basheir
Diagrams of the Site: Conceptual Approaches to the Urban Mosque in America.
The study of conceptual approaches to urban mosques in America is critical for bridging the gap between environmental concerns and site development. This study aims to contribute to the changing discourse on the urban mosque in America, from 1957 to the present day, by connecting people, place, and environment through an integrative philosophy of site planning, ultimately supporting an inclusive and mindful approach to its design and planning.This paper presents an integrative theory of site design that ties existing knowledge to the multidimensional elements of people, place, and environment. The theory emphasizes a holistic approach to understanding urban mosques, taking into account not only their physical constructions but also the socio-cultural and environmental environments in which they exist.
The detailed examinations of three existing urban mosques in America (Islamic Center Washington DC, 1957; The Islamic Center New York, 1991; and the Islamic Center of Boston, 2007) focus on land use and zoning principles to investigate how site planning and landscape architecture contribute to the mosque's integration into the city's urban fabric. The study will shed light on how urban mosques are integrated into city planning and their impact on urban development, together with the considerations for how Mosques interact with and effect their immediate environment.
Aside from these considerations, the primary purpose of the study is as follows: 1). Understanding the Built Form: Examine the architectural and design characteristics that identify urban mosques in America. 2). Landscape and Site Planning: Study into how site planning and landscape architecture help the mosque integrate into the urban fabric. 3). People, Place, and Environment: Investigate and critique how the urban mosque interacts with its surroundings and the populations it serves, and connect these elements to broader urban planning concepts in the city.
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