Rotunda Mosque
Competition Entry, 2019, Gaziantep, Turkey
Team: Sabri Gokmen with Muhammed Aydem and Ömer Faruk Demir
The mosque typology which has a historical, social, traditional and spiritual weight, is reinterpreted in an innovative way using digital tools to create an architectural connection with the past and the future. In the project, the symbolic meaning and spatial effect expected from the mosque is based on symmetry and structural elements such as dome, vaults and columns are interpreted in a holistic manner. The main purpose of the project is not only to define the mosque as a focal point sensitive to the traditions and values of the society, but also to describe it as a typology in which different social activities can be integrated to the urban spaces (courtyard, square) it hosts.
The general design approach describes a constructivist building system that disperses from a single center, and recursively grows through fragmentation to creates structural bonds between different branches. Mosque programs such as prayer room, fountain, minaret and portico, which define the program centers, are reinterpreted through radial symmetry and geometrically connected to each other.