Cambridge Central Mosque

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Cambridge Central Mosque
Cmglee Cambridge Mosque look out.jpg
Cambridge Central Mosque atrium, facing Mill Road
Religion
Affiliation Islam
RegionRomsey, Mill Road
StatusActive
Location
Location Cambridge, United Kingdom
Geographic coordinates 52°11′49″N0°09′07″E / 52.197°N 0.152°E / 52.197; 0.152
Architecture
Architect(s) Marks Barfield
Type Mosque
Style Eco-technology design
CompletedQ1 2019
Construction cost£23 million [1]
Specifications
Capacity1,000
Dome(s)1
Minaret(s)0
Materials Timber, bricks and tiles
Website
https://www.cambridgecentralmosque.org/

The Cambridge Central Mosque [2] is Europe's first eco-friendly mosque and the first purpose-built mosque within the city of Cambridge, England. Its mandate is to meet the needs of the Muslim community in the UK and beyond by facilitating good practice in faith, community development, social cohesion and interfaith dialogue. The Cambridge Central Mosque opened to the public on 24 April 2019. [3]

Contents

Background

Detail of column and ceiling Cmglee Cambridge Mosque column detail.jpg
Detail of column and ceiling

The Muslim Academic Trust (MAT) proposed the site location to be in the Romsey area of Mill Road in Cambridge. Thereafter, the Cambridge Mosque Project was established in 2008 by Timothy Winter, a lecturer in Islamic studies at the University of Cambridge, to raise funds for the project. [4] [5]

After the £4m purchase of a one-acre site in 2009 on Mill Road, Marks Barfield Architects was appointed to design the mosque in association with Professor Keith Critchlow, an expert in sacred architecture and Islamic geometry, along with the UK's leading Islamic garden designer Emma Clark. [6]

Plans for the mosque were submitted to Cambridge City Council by the MAT and it was approved in 2012. [7] However, the project was controversial and it was met with objections. [8] [9] [10] [11]

With its emphasis on sustainability and high reliance on green energy, the mosque is Europe's first eco-mosque. [12] In addition to the mosque's dedicated areas (ablution, teaching, children's area, morgue), there is a café, teaching area and meeting rooms for use by the local Muslim and non-Muslim communities. It can accommodate up to 1,000 worshippers. [13]

Donors from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas have supported the project, but most of the donations, around two-thirds of the total, came from Turkey. [14] Construction started in September 2016, was completed in March 2019, and the mosque opened to the public on 24 April 2019. [3] In 2021, the mosque was the subject of a profile on the Sky Arts programme The Art of Architecture . [15]

Stirling Prize shortlisting

In 2021, Cambridge Central Mosque was among six buildings shortlisted for the Stirling Prize. It was the winner of that year's People's Vote. [16]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Curtis, Adrian (24 January 2019). "Stunning views of Cambridge's £23m mosque". Cambridge Independent.
  2. ↑ "Welcome to the Cambridge Central Mosque". Cambridge Central Mosque.
  3. 1 2 "'Eco mosque' opens for prayers in Cambridge". BBC. 24 April 2019.
  4. ↑ "Cambridge Mosque Project".
  5. ↑ Pukas, Anna. "Islam's green future: Inside Europe's first eco-mosque". My Salaam. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "Emma Clark".
  7. ↑ "Cambridge £15m mosque plans approved for Mill Road site". BBC. 22 August 2012.
  8. ↑ "1,400 sign petition against planned £17m mosque in Cambridge". 5pillarz.com. 16 February 2014. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  9. ↑ "Stop construction of mosque on Mill Road, Cambridge". causes.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  10. ↑ "Cambridge Mill Road mosque objection leaflets delivered". bbc.co.uk. 13 December 2011.
  11. ↑ "UAF outnumbers EDL in Cambridge demonstration". cambridge-news.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 March 2013.
  12. ↑ "Eco-Mosque". Cambridge Mosque Trust. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  13. ↑ Brown, Raymond (2 November 2016). "Watch massive new £15 million mosque in Cambridge being built for 1,000 worshippers". Cambridge News.
  14. ↑ Moore, Rowan (17 March 2019). "Inside Cambridge's new £23m mosque: a forest runs through it". The Guardian.
  15. ↑ "The Art of Architecture - S2 - Episode 2: Cambridge Central Mosque". Radio Times . Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  16. ↑ "RIBA Stirling Prize 2021: The People's Vote". Architecture.com. Retrieved 21 September 2022.

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