Qasr Al Hosn: Al Musallah

Al Hosn, in downtown Abu Dhabi, is the original urban block of the city. A place for prayer, its Musalla is a terraform architecture which plays a subservient role to the adjacent significant heritage structures. Inspired by geometric shapes, naturally formed when the compacted desert salt plains crack from intense heat, the Musalla architecture utilises these forms to house irregular shaped enclosures associated with the sequence of prayer. The building is anchored into the coastal desert landscape and semi-submerged in a reflecting pool of water. Delicate glass bridges connect the inward-looking spaces and enable users to obtain glimpses of the surrounds. The Al Hosn site is a major reference point to the history of Abu Dhabi, telling the story of the city, its people, their history and modernity. It comprises two major iconic structures: Qasr Al Hosn (the oldest structure in Abu Dhabi, historic home of the ruling family and seat of government) and The Cultural Foundation (the emirate’s cultural centre, with library, theatre and exhibition spaces). Within the site-wide plan, the Musalla is designed to be a humble yet pivotal component of Al Hosn’s cultural and architectural ensemble. The brief for the master planning of the site was to ensure that the two major heritage buildings were conserved and protected for the appreciation of present and future generations. Their preservation should enable the understanding of their role in the development of Emirati society and their significance as anchors of traditional values. The concept not only aimed to conserve and restore building fabric but to also reinstate the context in which these buildings were historically set. This provides an immediate appreciation of Qasr Al Hosn’s relationship with the land and its vernacular origins, and The Cultural Foundation’s relationship with the modern city. The Musalla is a sculptural, terraform architecture which respectfully plays a subservient role to the aforementioned significant structures of Traditional and Modern heritage. It is designed to harmonise with the coastal desert landscape that has been reinstated around Abu Dhabi’s oldest building, to place Qasr Al Hosn once again in its proper context of a flat, sanded plain. The architecture is inspired by geometric shapes, known as ‘Voronoi’. These shapes are naturally formed when the compacted desert salt plains crack under intense heat. The Musalla is a cluster of these ‘Voronoi’ shapes, with each element housing a different element associated with the sequence of prayer. The Entrance Hall, Ablution Rooms, and Prayer Halls are all contained within these nature-inspired enclosures. Poetically, the building is partly anchored into the landscape and semi-submerged in a reflecting pool of water, in the direction of prayer. Delicate glass bridges connect each of the inward-looking spaces and enable visitors to obtain oblique glimpses of the landscape to provide a sense of place. The interiors are designed for privacy, with light only entering into the space through stalactite-like roof lights. These features filter daylight onto the board-marked concrete walls and reflective ‘tombak’ finishes. The external pool of water enters the building’s entrance hall to mediate the transition between external heat and humidity and the conditioned environment, whilst also creating a bridge between the entrance and ablution spaces. Planters and seats are also formed in smaller ‘Voronoi’ shapes, enabling users to physically engage with the building’s architectural language. The landscape which surrounds the Musalla is an extension of the building’s architectural language. A series of solid ‘stone cliffs’ surround it, creating a transition between building and context. All these structures are made of cast, in-situ, pigmented concrete that has been carefully selected to harmonise with the natural sandscape of Abu Dhabi island’s historic coastline.