Culture report project 2 final

GROUP MEMBERS:
1. NIK AFIQ AMADI (0317749)
2. NG KE NING (0323015)
3. MUSTAQIMCHOO (0319879)
4. LUM SI CHU (0319502)
COURSE: BACHELORS OF SCIENCE(HONS) INARCHITECTURE
SUBJECT: ARCHITECTURECULTURE & HISTORY2 [ ARC 60203 ]
SEMESTER:2 (FIRSTYEAR)
TUTOR’S NAME: MISS SHIRIN
BUILDING CHOSEN: AS-SYAKIRINMOSQUE(KLCCMOSQUE)

INTRODUCTION
The As Syakirin Mosque, a two storey mosque with an area of 21 hectares that’s also known
as KLCC Mosque, shares the same location as two hugely popular tourist attractions known
around the globe as Suria KLCC and Petronas Twin Towers, at the heart of Kuala Lumpur City
Centre (KLCC). Nicknamed ‘The Jewel In The Park’, the mosque faces the soothing lushness of
KLCC Park.
Ash-Syakirin name means' the people of the grateful chosen as the official name for this mosque.
The mosque is a modern architectural landmark of modern Islamin a rapidly developing area in
the capital city, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Recently in the year 2009, the mosque underwent a major renovation to increase the capacity to
12,000 people from only 6,000 people previously. Its strikingly modern, futuristic architecture
was planned by ZAP Group Architects and built by highly skilled craftsmen from Uzbekistan who
rendered intricate carvings and calligraphy on the interior and internal façade of the dome out
of marble and granite with a graceful combination of West and East Asian design elements. This
mosque is unique because of the fact that it doesn’t feature a minaret as a part of its main
structure.

SITE CONTEXT ANALYSIS
As-syakirinmosque is located in the KLCC Park that is located in the KLCC district in JalanAmpang.
The surrounding area consists of
recreation, commercial, business
and residential areas. Which
makes it one of the most
visitedmosques by Muslims
locally and internationally.
Views of the existing building

The mosque is accessible fromall
directions of the mosque as is it located
within the vicinity of the KLCC Park rather
than a neighborhood. So it is considered
to be open and accessible from all
directions.
While beingthe Jewel of the KLCCPark,the mosque
receivesplentyof sunlightthroughoutthe day,which
givesanadvantage for the mosque’sarchitecture toplay
withnatural light
Again,
because of the locationof the mosque,itisleftopenwith
no surroundingwall arounditresultinginmultiple
viewpointsof the mosque thatcanbe seenthroughoutthe
park as well assome areasoutside the vicinity
Noise isalmostunavoidable inthe citycentre,asthe
mosque islocatedat one of the busiestdistrictsinKLcity,
whichisKLCC. However,noise isreducedsignificantlyby
havingitplaceda little bitfurtherfromthe recreation
area and awayfromthe mainroad of JalanAmpang.

Buildings and places around the site context of the mosque are as follows, consisting of recreation,
commercial, business and residential areas.
KL CityPark
PETRONASTwinTowers
Menara Citibank
TradersHotel
KualaLumpur conventioncentre
Mandarin Oriental HotelOne KL Serviced Apartments
The Troika Serviced
Residence

ARCHITECTURAL LAYOUT OF BUILDING
Organization Analysis
Space Within Space
The space contains a smaller space
within. The contained spaceslightly
differs in form from the enveloping
one. The formal contrast indicates
a functional difference. The
contained space reiterates the
form of enveloping space.
However, they all share the same
purpose for Muslim prayers.
PUBLIC SEMI
PRIVATE
PRIVATE
Hierarchy of spaces
The main space lies on the ground
floor which includes the semi
private space for the prayers and
the Minbar (used to give tazkarah).
It is also mostly used for Muslim to
perform prayers every day,
followed by the second floor and
the public floor outside.

Rhythm
Windows and columns repeatedly
puncture the surface of a building
to allow light and views to enter
the interior, at the same time gives
structural support of the mosque.
Spaces accommodate repetitive
functional requirements of the
mosque.
Symmetry and Balance
Balance is achieved through the
structural plan of this mosque in
terms of golden ration, proportion
and spatial sequences. As shown in
diagram, the form is basically quite
simple and basic where it is almost
symmetrical to each side of the
plan as well as elevation. The
structural plan is sequence shaped,
hypostyle mosque, supported by
columns.

Public/ Private
The transition between public and private spaces is gradual through the use of partition wall,
defining a sense of separation
Ramp & Stairs
The staircase used to provide access to the mosque and to descend at a leisurely pace along the
gentle slope of the continuous ramp. To maximize the display of the mosque, the side staircases
are also used.
Geometry
The formative idea of the mosque
is triangular which centers from the
concept of traditional Mosque. It
allows individual to stand and
capture the tie between modern
architecture and traditional
mosque.
Parti
The overall plan of the
mosque offers the
combination of forms that are
aggregated around an eight-
pointed stars structure. As a
visitor walks up or down its
ramp, the accesses to the
ancillary spaces are gradually
revealed, allowing for various
different plan forms to
emerge.

ARCHITECTURE STYLE ANALYSIS
Architecture
The As Syakirin Mosque combines Uzbek design and other elements of West Asian architecture
with the style of East Asia. The 21 hectares edifice was constructed by Uzbekistan workers out of
marble and granite. The carvings on the walls are sophisticated and subtle. Although it’s an Islamic
house of prayer, the KLCC Mosque does not feature a minaret.
The centrally-planned mosque
Whilethe four-iwan planwas used for mosques acrossthe Islamicworld,the Ottoman Empirewas
one of the few places in the central Islamic lands where the four-iwan mosque plan did not
dominate. The Ottoman Empire was founded in 1299. However, it did not become a major force
until the 15th century, when Mehmed II conquered Constantinople, the capital of the late Roman
(Byzantine) Empire since the 4th century. Renamed Istanbul, the city straddles the European and
Asian continents, and, having been a Christian capital for over a thousand years, had a wholly
different cultural and architectural heritage than Iran. The Ottoman architects were strongly
influenced by Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the greatestof all Byzantinechurches and one that features
a monumental central dome high over its large nave.
Many Ottoman mosques in the late 15th and early 16th centuries referenced Hagia Sophia’s
dome; however, it was not until the masterful work of Mimar Sinan, the greatest Ottoman, if not
Islamic, architect, that the domes of Ottoman mosques competed with and arguably surpassed

that of Hagia Sophia. Sinan experimented with the central plan in a series of mosques in Istanbul,
achieving what he considered his masterpiece in the Mosque of Selim II, in Edirne, Turkey. Built
for Selim II, son of Suleyman during the golden age of the Ottoman Empire, it is considered the
greatest masterpiece of Ottoman architecture. It represents a culmination of years of
experimentation with the centrally-planned Ottoman mosque. Sinan himself boasted that his
dome was higher and wider than that of the Hagia Sophia, highlighting the sense of competition
with the earlier Byzantine building. In the Selim Mosque, Sinan distilled previous ideas about the
central plan into a simple and perfect design. The interior octagonal space was made more
spacious by 8 massive piers that pushed back into the walls, and a rhythmic harmony was created
through apertures of small and large arches framed by joggled voussoirs, filling the large space
with light and color.
Style Analysis
Based on the research, Syakirin Mosque is belongs to modernistic expressionism. The term
modernistic, according to Mohamad Tajuddin Mohamad Rasdi (2009), springs from the ideas and
main principles that govern the early revolution of architecture in Europe in the early twentieth
century. To them, true architecture rejects historic revivalism, ornamentation and abstraction in
any formbut honour the structural expression in architecture.TheModernistic Expressionismand
Modernistic Structuralism are the two types of modernistic styles of mosques in Malaysia.
Modernistic Expressionism carries a metaphoric message through the use of structurally
expressive form.
The phrase ‘modernistic expressionism’ is derived from William J. Curtis’classification of
‘expressionism’ as any form of architecture that carries a metaphoricmessage through the use of
structurally expressive form. Eric Mendhelson’s EinsteinTower as well as Eero Saarinen’s TWA
Airport Terminal are examples of these kindof architecture. I have added the word modernistic
because in some buildings onlyone part has the expressive qualities whilst the other parts are
those that subscribe tothe general modern architectural language.
There are two mosques in this categoryin Malaysia. The Masjid Negara and the Negeri
Sembilan State Mosque are the only two examples of this style. The Masjid Negara is the best
example of the combinationof a modernistic reinterpretation of traditional Malay Architecture
with a folded plate‘dome’ with a metaphor of a royal umbrella signifying the importance of the
buildingas a national monument. The Masjid Negara uses an extensive set of serambi orverandah
space with light courts and air wells to provide ample daylighting andpassive cooling to the
building.

It isby far the best exampleofa building imbuedwiththe technological andspiritual qualities
of an architecture with a true Malaysianidentity. The Negeri Sembilan State mosque uses a series
of intersecting reinforcedconcrete conoid to refer to the horn-like gable roofs of the Minang
traditionalarchitecture. The reference to the ‘bumbung gonjong’ is uniquely expressed in
thestructural play of the conoids. The architect had not resorted to the simplistic revivalism
alternative of the traditional roof but has reinterpreted it in an abstract but
creative way.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION, STRUCTURE &
MATERIALS ANALYSIS
The As Syakirin Mosque (Malay: Masjid As Syakirin) or KLCC Mosque is a newly constructed
mosque and is part of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) project. Built in 1998 it is built of
marble and granite. Artisans from Uzbekistan are responsible for the main decorations of the
mosque (especially of the dome). The mosque has intricate carvings and calligraphy on the
interior walls as well as on the dome internals.
The mosque features interesting architecture of West Asia specially Uzbek design combined with
a taste of East Asia and was built by Uzbekistan craftsmen using marble and granite. The mosque
has intricate carvings and calligraphy on the interior walls as well as on the dome internals.
Figure 1: The exterior and interior of the dome
Figure 2: The top view of the masjid

The first thing that catches the eye is its blue vernacular capped with a dome roof. Its flat roof is
adorned with a dark blue dome shaped like a half-open umbrella, reminiscent of Masjid Negara.
Figure 3: The plan of Sheikh Zayed Great Mosque in Abu Dhabi, which is familiar to plan of klcc
mosque.
The space is designed in the shape of an eight-pointed star by the regular eight sides polygon of
the dome. This unique roof covers the main prayer hall. The design is alike with Sheikh Zayed
Great Mosque in Abu Dhabi. This focal point has particular sanctity in Islam; it holds the mihrab,
the indicator of qibla, the minbar (or pulpit from which the Friday sermon is delivered), and it
marks the location of the imam who leads the prayers. Indeed if one raises his gazes to the giant
dome he would observe a huge eight pointed crown which covers the entire area, raised on eight
robust pillars, each one being made of four marble columns carrying huge pointed horseshoe
arches. Above them smaller arches were intersected in the Cordoban manner, transforming the
polygon into a circle carrying the dome. A dome does possess significance within the mosque—
as a symbolic representation of the vault of heaven. However, KLCC mosque just has the unique
form from the exterior. The interior is simple and minimal to maximize the space. The eight-
pointed-star shaped of flat roof is just for exterior decoration and it’s not apply to the whole
structure.

On the other hand, the building has a traditional structure: it emphatically separates male and
female worshippers. The women are relegated to a relatively cramped higher floor. The marble
flooring of the praying hall is now covered with carpets to ensure the comfort of people.
Figure 4: Interior perspective of the praying hall

Figure 5: Klcc mosque before renovation
Firgure 6: Klcc mosque after renovation. The blue transparent window between the cross ribbed
structure assembles the palm trees from nature.

Figure 7: Ribbed vault structure of the masjid through the walkway versus Gothic rib-vault ceiling
of the Saint-Séverin church in Paris.
Thirdly, the symmetrically designed pillars,each with four arms, curving upwards to form a cross-
ribbed vault structure, support the reinforced concrete roof. This greatly reduced the weight (and
thus the outward thrust) of the ceiling vault. Its whole structure is supported by a spectacular
series of arched pillars. The pillars give a strong impression of the presence of palm trees that
can be felt both in the interior and exterior of the mosque. The ribbed vault structure of the
mosque along the pillars of the walkway is much alikewith the structure of Gothic rib-vault ceiling

of the Saint- Séverin church in Paris. Both of the ribbed vault were combined with windows of
greatly increased size, forming walls of light pierced by the vertical piers which reached up to
support the vaults, to create a clearexpression of the new religious spirit,though for the different
religion.
Figure 8: The green of the mosque before renovation
Above the pillars covered with blue geometric top with a well-landscaped garden of beautiful
flower and plant. The blue caps only existed before the renovation as provide the lighting to the
space below. To hold on the whole reinforced concrete roof with the landscape and blue caps,
ribbed vaults structure of pillars hold all the structure and bring a feeling of balance and
symmetry. However, the landscape garden and the unique blue cap for the lighting above the
cross ribbed vault structure had gone after the renovation. I personally prefer to maintain the
green of the mosque.
Note the absence of a minaret. Strictly speaking a minaret is not religious requirement for a
mosque. The earliest mosques were built without minarets but later these became a part of
Islamic Architecture to provide a vantage point from which the call to prayer (adhan) was made.
With advent of loudspeakers the role of minarets is now more of an adherence to a tradition as
well as of a visual indication to the location of a mosque.

ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS / COMPONENTS ANALYSIS
Roof
Modern vernacular capped with a dome. This designis very popular in West Malaysia.Domes are
beginning to dominate mosque designs in Sarawak. In fact, nearly half of the mosques in the
State fallunder this category. Among mosques of this styleinclude the Kuching DivisionalMosque
(Masjid Bandaraya Kuching), Sri Aman Mosque, Al-Muttaqim Mosque in Sarikei, An-Nur Mosque
in Sibu and At-Taqwa Mosque in Miri. Kuching Divisional Mosque has a large distinctive golden
dome made of aluminium, accompanied by four smaller domes and sixminarets. All the minarets
are capped with smaller concrete domes. Half domes are used as awnings over the windows of
the mosque on all the four sides to reduce glaring sunlight and to keep out rain water. Beside
that the lower part of the roof is constructed by using the pattern of eight point star. The
octagram or eight-pointed star is a symbol of fullness and regeneration. Through its links with
the great eight-fold systems of East and West - the trigrams of the I Ching and the pagan wheel
of the year - the octagram gains its connotations of wholeness, rebirth and cyclical infinity. The
octagram's association with infinity is further strengthened by the lemniscate, the symbol for
infinity, taking the form of a figure eight on its side, and through its links to the eight primal
deities of ancient Egypt, the Ogdoad.The octagram's associated polygon, the octagon, is
intermediate between square and circle, confirming the sense of spiritual regeneration. Thus
many baptisteries and fonts are octagonal, though twelve sided figures are sometimes used as

twelve is linked to totality.As an expression of the number eight and in its aspect of making sense
of and communicating wholeness and regeneration. The octagram is linked to the Kabbalistic
sefira Hod. the octagram was a symbol of Ishtar, Akkadian Goddess representing Venus and
invoking the force of life.
Praying Hall (Mihrab)
The most important interior element in an Islamic religious building is the mihrab, a wall
niche that indicates the direction of Mecca, toward which the faithful must face during the daily
prayers. This mihrab is from the Madrasa Imami, a religious school founded in Isfahan in 1354. It
is made of glazed earthenware cut into small pieces and embedded in plaster. Three kinds of
Islamic designs can be found here —vegetal, calligraphic, and geometric. The calligraphic
inscription in the back of the niche reads: “The Prophet (on him be peace!) said ‘the mosque is
the dwelling place of the pious.’” Calligraphy is the most revered art form in Islam because it
conveys the word of God. Note the way in which straight-lined geometric shapes have been made
to fit the curved space. Observe the varied and complex decorative elements that cover every
visible surface of the mihrab. All directly illustrate geometric, calligraphic, or plant forms.
The central area for prayer is called a musalla (literally, "place for prayer"). It is
deliberately quite bare. No furniture is needed, as worshippers sit, kneel, and bow directly on the
floor. There may be a few chairs or benches to assist elderly or disabled worshippers who have
difficulty with mobility. Along the walls and pillars of the prayer hall, there are usually
bookshelves to hold copies of the Qur'an, wooden book stands (rihal), other religious reading
material, and individual prayer rugs. Beyond this, the prayer hall is otherwise a large, open space

Shelter Walkway (columns)
The columns is used as flying vault, we can see this in most of the façade in Europe as well. The
ceiling is made of glass, wood, steel and etc. The main purpose were shown, the upper
transparent part is one of the natural light source which able to create brighter space in the area.
The pattern is geometric. The path way is also constructed in symmetrical and the floor is
constructed by using tiles on the surface area.

Minbar
A raised platform in the front area of a mosque, from which sermons or speeches are given. The
minbar is located to the right of the mihrab, which marks the direction of the qiblah for prayer.
The minbar is usually made of carved wood, stone, or brick. The minbar includes a short staircase
leading to the top platform, which is sometimes covered by a small dome. At the bottom of the
staircase there may be a gate or doorway.The speaker walks up the steps and either sits or stands
on the minbar while addressing the congregation.In addition to making the speaker visible to
worshippers, the minbar helps to amplify the voice of the speaker. In modern times, microphones
are also used for this purpose. The traditional minbar is a common element of Islamic mosque
architecture throughout the world.
Staircase- This staircase is one of the
access way for prayer and people to
get into the mosque. The staircase is
well developed and divided. There are
2 path which divided there for people
will notice and assuming 1 path is for
coming down and the other us for
going up in sequence. This kind of stair
is common in style will be easily found
in any mosque and buildings there
have high level as this building as
symmetrical pattern.

Entrance
Thisis themain entrancetoenter themosque. They’revery symmetrical instyleanditis commoninIslamic
architecture. Based on the concept of water to develop this out coming building.
Door
Based onthe modalism, all the doorswere constructin a modernway butremain the form of the original
mosquedoor. The dooris made of steel and glass. The pattern of shape is vector thisis a very common
shapethat can be easily foundin antmosque. The design elements of the doorconsist of geometrical and
symmetrical. All this patternis refer by Uzbek design.

Ceiling and windows
The pattern they made in this mosque. They are made up of a small number of repeated
geometric elements. The simple forms of the circle, square, and straight line are the basis of the
patterns. These elements are combined, duplicated, interlaced, and arranged in intricate
combinations. Most patterns are typically based on one of two types of grid—one composed of
equilateral triangles, the other of squares. A third type of grid, composed of hexagons, is a
variation on the triangular schema. The mathematical term for these grids is “regular
tessellation” (deriving from Latin tesserae, i.e., pieces of mosaic), in which one regular polygon is
repeated to tile the plane.
Geometric ornamentation in Islamic art suggests a remarkable degree of freedom. The
complex arrangements and combinations of elements are infinitely expandable; the frame
surrounding a pattern appears to be arbitrary and the basic arrangement sometimes provides a
unit from which the rest of the design can be both predicted and projected.
The placement of pattern upon pattern serves to flatten the space, and there is no
attempt to create depth. Vegetal patterns are may be set against a contrasting background in
which the plantlike forms interlace, weaving over and under in a way that emphasizes the
foreground decoration. In other instances, the background is replaced by a contrast between
light and shade. Sometimes it is impossible to distinguish between foreground and background.
Some geometric designs are created by fitting all the polygonal shapes together like the pieces
of a puzzle, leaving no gaps and, therefore, requiring no spatial interplay between foreground
and background. The mathematical term for this type of construction is “tessellation.” The
conception of space in Islamic art is completely different from Western models, which usually
adopt a linear perspective and divide the picture space into foreground, middle ground, and
background. Artists of the Islamic world were largely uninterested in linear perspective. Of the
various styles of Islamic art, it was in Persian painting that a type of three-dimensional space was
used in which figures could interact, but this space presented multiple viewpoints and
simultaneously featured bird’s-eye and worm’s-eye views.

CONCLUSION
Ina nutshell,asforthe site context,the As-Syakirinmosque isaverymodernmosquethatblends
well withitssurroundingsitecontext.Notonlyintermsof designbutalsointermsof the userexperience,
as it is easy to access, easy to find and not hard on the eyes. It is visually appealing. It is a mosque that
achieves it’s goals as the Jewel in the park
In terms of architectural layoutof the mosque,our personal experience towardsthe As-Syakirin
mosque was incredible as it is very symbolic building by having its own uniqueness and individual
character. In our personal opinion,the moment we step into the entrance, it also givesus a very open
and welcoming feeling due to its columns which were arranged uniformly across the walkway, which is
quite different from middle east that usually applies courtyards within the mosque compound.
Compensationwere made byreplacingone of the famousMalay architecture element. The architecture
of the mosque is a bold and modern approach with the usage of reinforced concrete. A mix of Islamic,
Malay and modern architecture, are what this mosque unique in its own ways. The water features
surroundingthe compoundgivesaveryserene andcalmfeelingwhere one canrelax theirmindandsouls
during their prayers.
Due to the century the knowledge of Islamic architecture have further enhance and come out
with more latest modern style in this society and all around the world. On the other hand, the people
nowadays are still taking the old style of mosque architecture as one of their main reference resources.
Therefore as the latest generation, we truly thankful to the respective designer that came out with this
impressive architecture by using simple geometric into massive kind of pattern.
Last but not least, As-SyakirinMosque is a modernmosque withoutaminaretmakesit a unique
mosque representingthe modernismbuilding.Itsmaterialbasicallyisgranite andmarble.The special part
of the construction of the mosque is blue vernacular capped with a dome, traditional structure by
separatingmale andfemaleworshippers,pillarswithcross-ribbedvaultstructure andblue geometriccap-
like topwithawell-landscapedgarden.The architecture ofthe mosque isdifferentthantheothermosque
as it is based on the West Asia architecture especially Uzbek design. As the building is symmetrical, it is
apparent that the construction of the mosque is taken into heavy consideration of its design, function,
requirementandbeauty. The communityshouldcontinue topreservethe historyof the mosqueasitnot
only holds a very huge function to the society, it also portrays the culture it represents.

REFFERENCE
 http://eprints.utm.my/1780/1/Mosque_style-tajuddin.pdf
 http://lib.iium.edu.my/mom2/cm/content/view/view.jsp?key=J9iTGcSV6yvhGXJkxCWZu
g8P9lueQqAL20060918095152265
 http://archnet.org/archive/message_107815
 https://www.google.com/maps/search/site+context+near+masjid+as+syakirin+jalan+a
mpang+kuala+lumpur+city+centre+kuala+lumpur+federal+territory+of+kuala+lumpur+
malaysia/@3.1563274,101.715782,16.85z

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur_City_Centre

 http://overseasattractions.com/asia/malaysia/kuala-lumpur/syakirin-mosque/

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Syakirin_Mosque

Culture report project 2 final

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Culture report project 2 final