malaysia architecture: mega mosque

“architecture is about people, if architecture had not been about people it would not have been our profession,” ZLGdesign

Why do Malaysia lecturers and architects strive for architecture motive pattern for a mosque if there are no comprehensive study on the Muslim activities and the program happen in a mosque?

I have been told by friends who have studied in IIUM that some lecturers’ attention toward Islamic architecture are more toward islamic ornamentation, minaret and dome. I have visited to mosques around Kuala Lumpur and found that most of wudhu places are not convenient. Water from water tap doesn’t pointed right into the drainage designed, unaccessed saff at some corner and etc. I turn more disappointed after I had a quick visit to our latest Malaysia Mega Mosque in Putrajaya, Masjid Besi Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.

1.I went to perform Maghrib prayer at Masjid Besi Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin on 17 July 2010, a massive steel structure mosque in Putrajaya. The moment I entered the building, I was surprised with the coordination of ‘shoes off’ area. The shoes racks are painted in black and aligned like library book shelf but lit up in very dull light. Thus the shoes are not apparent from the outside.
2. There were 20-30 shoes racks look identical and I got a feeling that I might lose my shoes because i can’t identify which any one of them, so I placed my shoes at a shoes rack next to wudhu room wall. I went in and take wudhu.
3. After I’m done with wudhu in the MASSIVE wudhu area, there was a big transition space which allow woman and man pick the right direction (according to their gender) into the prayer hall.
4. I took stairs, reached the main prayer hall and I was surprised with number of motionless escalators installed. As far as I understand, the escalators do not serve anyone in the main hall as everyone is already barefooted. (for safety issue, escalator is not allowed for barefooted)
5. I think the mosque is a comeback idea of the first Putra Mosque which has failed to tackle climate issue and needs to be air conditioned ( increased the running cost of the building over time). And so the height of the ceiling was designed with 30-40m high to allow natural ventilation.
6. After done with Maghrib prayer, I walked back to the shoes rack, and unfortunately there are more than one ‘shoes off rooms’ and I do not know which room was mine! There was no indication or sign as to differentiate the identical shoes off rooms (and every single shoes rack rooms are located next to the wudhu room!! which means there are numbers of other Massive wudhu room in the mosque as well). It took me 10 to 15 minutes to find back the shoes rack where I left my shoes and I just can’t imagine how troublesome it will be during Friday Prayer!

Masjid Besi Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin is trully a bizzare architecture. It has successfully tackle climate issue and cladded with expensive highly finished tiles, however the gigantic size, excessive and unnecessary utilities and lack of rooms demarcation has neglected the program and user of the building. I dont know how much Malaysia has spent to the building which is inhumane and much more disappointing is, it is a mosque!

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