Sky Mosque

Istanbul, Turkey
Columbia GSAPP
30,000 SF
2014

Leveraging stunning views across the Bosporus strait and steep topography, a structure of folding geometry and dramatic rooflines creates new modes of prayer, contemplation, and recreation. The urban strategy aims to connect two neighborhoods that exist on opposite ends of a park with an elevated promenade. Aligned to the axis to Mecca, the roof plane slopes down from the promenade to the ground, creating a 5,000-seat amphitheater and a percolator staircase for pedestrians. Skylights into the mosque puncture the roof plane at random. The underside of the structure is porous, allowing pedestrians to flow through the park unimpeded.

The mosque program exists on three levels underneath the roof, with a series of ramps, privacy screens, and apertures creating moments of interaction between the many different people passing through the site.