5/5 Sazali M S. 4 months ago on Google • 747 reviews
When
Najwa
&
Atiq
told
me
that
we
are
going
punting
at
Cambridge,
I
insisted
that
we
must
visit
the
Cambridge
Mosque
first.
They
didnt
object,
but
requested
that
I
gave
my
honest
review
of
the
mosque.
It
has
been
making
waves
as
the
first
"Eco-mosque"
in
Europe,
and
I
wanted
to
see
why.
The
word
eco
is
often
used
in
tandem
with
sustainability,
and
it
is
the
current
trend
in
architecture
these
days.
As
we
approached
the
building,
I
realized
that
it
was
just
a
small
community
mosque.
We
were
immediately
drawn
to
the
underground
parking
area,
which
was
quite
sizeable,
but
most
importantly,
this
design
has
freed
the
ground
floor
area
from
any
vehicular
circulation,
making
it
entirely
safe
for
pedestrian
traffic,
especially
when
involving
small
children.
This
was
brilliant!..
As
we
arrived
on
the
ground
floor,
we
were
met
with
a
few
families
with
their
children
coming
into
and
going
out
of
the
mosque.
Some
had
finished
their
prayers,
and
some
had
just
arrived,
like
us.
I
couldnt
resist
taking
some
photos
and
videos
for
a
short
while,
but
then
decided
to
proceed
with
my
prayer
first.
The
wudu'
area
is
so
neat
and
clean,
with
a
proper
cloak
room
to
hang
your
jackets,
and
a
clearly
seperated
toilets/water
closets
area.
Its
a
real
luxury
to
see
a
properly
designed
water
closet
complete
with
a
hand
bidet
in
Europe,
but
you
can
easily
find
one
here.
The
ablution
water
taps
were
working
on
sensors,
thus
wastage
of
water
could
be
avoided.
As
I
walk
into
the
Main
Prayer
Hall,
the
serene
atmosphere
had
enveloped
me
thoroughly.
Instead
of
having
columns
to
support
the
beams
and
ceiling,
I
saw
a
series
of
almost
organic
structural
elements
made
from
glue
laminated
timber
members
weaving
themselves
upwards
to
touch
the
ceiling...These
intricate
looking
structures
ended
up
framing
some
circular
skylight
roofing,
which
brought
in
natural
lighting
deep
inside
the
Prayer
Hall.
This
phenomena
had
created
an
interesting
interplay
of
lights
and
shadows
casted
on
the
floor,
which
effects
would
vary
according
to
the
time
of
the
day.
And
obviously
the
direct
sunlight
would
significantly
reduce
the
dependancy
on
artificial
lightings.
The
Central
Mosque
in
Rome
quickly
came
to
my
mind
for
its
similar
design
features.
Before
we
left,
I
was
met
with
a
warm
and
friendly
gentleman
who
turned
out
to
be
a
UK
resident
of
pakistani
descent,
by
the
name
of
Brother
Yunus
Khan,
who
has
been
living
in
Cambridge
for
25
years.
He
had
actually
greeted
me
in
Bahasa
Malaysia,
and
from
his
pronounciation
of
the
malay
words,
it
was
clear
that
he
has
many
malay
friends
from
which
he
had
learnt
the
language.
As
a
whole,
I
was
very
impressed
with
this
community
mosque.
Being
an
architect,
I
had
personally
designed
many
mosques
in
my
professional
career.
I
really
hope
that
other
architects
would
give
as
much
care
and
effort
in
their
design
solutions
like
in
this
particular
mosque.
May
Allah
give
blessings
to
those
who
design,
build,
manage
and
patronize
this
beautiful
mosque...Ameenn..
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