Mosque Architecture (No.1) : THE ACQUAINTANCE

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

 

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.

 

O Allah! Send blessings and peace upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad.

 

Welcome to my blog on Mosque Architecture

 

Before I introduce to you the grail or pursuit of my blog on mosque architecture, and the reaching out, let me first make acquaintance with my professional background and my passion about mosque. The following is an edited abstract about the author from my first book on mosque architecture which already has been published:

 

The Author’s/Compiler's Passion About Mosque

 

By profession, Nik Mohd. Azmi bin Nik Daud (Dato', Ar) is an architect. This is the architect's passion, studying and collecting the most relevant Ahadith to become as a guide in designing a mosque with the concept of laying it on the foundation of TAQWA (Piety) as promulgated in the Al-Qur’an. Hopefully, it is also suitable to be used as a guide in general, for Muslim architecture. It is a work of putting together the records at the culmination of the architect's career who had some spare time as a retired to compile them in a book.

 

Long before becoming a professional architect in 1980, the interest already started when as an architectural student he was preparing a Design Dissertation or Thesis on a Proposed State Mosque in Malaysia, for Part l Examination of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). He was at the School of Architecture in Plymouth, United Kingdom, back in 1971- 1974. Presently the school is part of the Plymouth University.

 

For his professional postgraduate studies in architecture he moved to London. Again, his interest was still on knowing more about the spiritual aspects of mosque architecture. For his Part ll RIBA Examination Thesis he attempted on a more comprehensive project of a Proposed Mosque, Wimbledon Park, London, putting the plans from scratch. He was then at the School of Architecture in North London, for two years, 1975-1977. Presently, it is under London Metropolitan University. Prior to Part ll, he did his compulsory one year- out training as an architectural assistant at James Cubitt, Fello Atkinson & Partners, London.

 

In early 1978, he returned to Malaysia after completion of the professional postgraduate study. He was attached to JKR Headquarters and later transferred to the East Coast as the Terengganu State Architect until 1980. He completed his Part lll PAM (Architects Association Malaysia) Examination, and was a member of the PAM. At that time, with that he was also an Associate Member of Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). In Nov 2010, he was elected as a Fellow of the PAM.

 

After resigned from JKR at the end of 1980, he joined as a partner in a regional architectural firm, James Ferrie and Partners, Singapore. The firm in Malaysia was named as Nik James Ferrie Arkitek. Simultaneously, he also practised with his sole proprietor firm, Nik Sepakat Arkitek. After 33 years of professional practice, he retired in 2013. During his tenure of 33 years in office he involved in various projects and among those are his favourite mosques projects which he built a few to his credit. He almost used the entire duration doing research for mosque architecture.

 

Not only as a designer and building mosques, he also experienced as a member of a Mosque Committee, looking after the mosque administration and management. His experience as a member of the main committee and sub- committees was for many years which forms an integral part of his efficacious pursuit. This is the real and invaluable in- depth study of the running of a typical mosque.

 

His passion about mosque during his student time, during his long career period as a practising architect and as a member of the Mosque Committee and Sub-committees, has put him with sufficient experience to be shared with us. Lifelong passion has inspired him to complete this book to share his quest and inquiry on mosque design and development.

 

 

A Five-Book Series on Mosque Architecture

 

From inception it has been intended that these writings are meant to be as a series of books on mosques founded on virtues. When the first book has been accomplished, and the second book is about to be published at the end of the year, the author would already start on a third book, thus it will become a trilogy, a series of 3 books. It can be a tetralogy for a series of 4 books. If it stops at 5, then it becomes a series of 5 books, a pentalogy. The series would continue, albeit everything depends on God willing.

 

The book titles in the series are:

 

Already Published:

 

1- A Perspective on - INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT & ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN BRIEF of - THE MOSQUE FOUNDED ON TAQWA - In the Light of Islamic Fundamentals Including a Compendium of over 40 AHADITH

 

Ongoing: (Insha'Allah, it could be published by at the end of the year)

2- A Reflection on the Environmental Crisis - CLIMATE CHANGE & THE THREE LEADING GREEN MOSQUES – TOWARDS A NEAR-ZERO CARBON FOOTPRINT

IN DIVERGENT CLIMATIC REGIONS:      

* KHALIFA AL-TAJER MOSQUE, DUBAI, UAE

* RAJA HAJI FISABILILLAH MOSQUE, CYBERJAYA, MAL

* CAMBRIDGE CENTRAL MOSQUE, CAMBRIDGE, UK

 

Their Nations’ Commitments in the Environmental Sustainability

The Muslims Devoirs in The Ecological Stewardship

 

Future Books: (Intended titles)

 

3- THE EXISTING MOSQUES GREEN MAKEOVER & RETROFITTING –Towards Carbon Neutrality by Carbon Offsetting– Including its Ancillary Buildings Especially Staff Quarters

 

4- THE MOSQUES ABROAD – Built a New or by Conversion & Adaptation of Diversified Existing Buildings

 

5- THE MOSQUE – The Faithful’s Uncluttered Plain Worship & Community Sanctuary - A Recap of the Book Series

 

Insha'Allah, in my next posting I'll highlight some features of the first published book in the series.