Reviving the Spirit: an Architectural Reflection of Sacred in the Secular

Defining spirituality is an almost impossible task as the experience and its triggers are specific to each individual on an emotional, spatial, physical, and social scale. Theorists such as Rumi, Rudolf Otto and Jones Wainwright all emphasise spirituality as varying from person to person depending on their lived experiences. Rumi approaches spirituality as an inward experience particular to the three levels of existence – the body, the mind and the soul. Rudolf Otto speaks of spirituality as being a felt condition rather than one that is easy to grasp with the mind. Due to the particularity of the spirit, the initial stage of the thesis was dedicated to a personal reflection on spirituality through studying lived spiritual experiences in secular and sacred contexts. These experiences include pilgrimage, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and congregational prayers. The felt emotions and atmospheres were broken down through media studies, a way of visualising the lived experiences for an audience of a different background. Through this study, the definition of spirituality derived extended itself to a state of greater awareness that transcends beyond the physical realm.

The personal notion of spirituality was translated into the design of a sacred space. A space that opens up to all seekers of spirituality while rooted in Islamic principles. Site analysis was carried out in three stages; analysing the distribution of mosques in Auckland City, studying the streets around the chosen site, and analysing the immediate neighbours around the site. Takapuna on the North Shore became the chosen site as it houses a number of churches and chapels but no mosques, leaving Muslims on the shore to worship in makeshift spaces.

The notion of experiences became a critical design language as a way of guiding the audience through the space. Key experiences were modelled and rearranged on site, to create relationships from one experience to the other. The set of experiences followed the transition from a secular to a sacred space specific to that a Muslim experiences – call to prayer being the threshold space, the ritual of cleansing following it, prayer, and self reflection.

Key planning moves include: shifted orientation towards the Kaaba, a system of filtering spaces, level differentiation, hierarchy of heights, and a garden that further emphasises the Qibla grid on the site. The site plan below shows a break away from traditional Islamic symbolism where instead, a system of planes is adopted which asks users to discover and reflect upon spirituality.

During the Muslim holiday known as Eid, the neighbouring square becomes an extension of the site as a place for festivals to take place. The same notion of planes is applied to the square, however, these are temporary and adjustable that allow for both prayer and eating festivities to take place.

To conclude, the thesis translated a personal perspective of spirituality into the design of a sacred space at the heart of which is a mosque. While the design stems from the sequence of events for a Muslim, it opens up to seekers of spirituality from all backgrounds for reflection. Through the design of a sacred space, the thesis proposes a personal reflection of spirituality in secular and sacred contexts.