Architectural Cases

The Diriyah Biennale Foundation has unveiled the four architectural studios selected as finalists for the 2027 AlMusalla Prize. This global contest seeks to commission an original design for a 'musalla'—a dedicated space for prayer and reflection—to be featured at the third Islamic Arts Biennale. The biennale is scheduled to commence on November 1, 2027, at the Western Hajj Terminal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The chosen studios are Al-Jawad Pike (United Kingdom), Civil Architecture (Bahrain/Kuwait), MILLIØNS (United States), and NEW SOUTH (France). The ultimate victor will be revealed in March 2027, and their creation will first be showcased as part of the exhibition before finding a permanent home in the JAX District of Diriyah.

Initiated in 2024, the AlMusalla Prize was established to foster inventive architectural interpretations of religious spaces. The Diriyah Biennale Foundation orchestrates this initiative, inviting architects to conceive a musalla that harmonizes spiritual and communal requirements, while also addressing aspects of flexibility, material innovation, and environmental responsibility. From its inception, the prize has served as a platform for architectural innovation within the expansive realm of Islamic art and culture.

For the 2027 iteration, participants were tasked with developing a singular architectural concept that could effectively function in two distinct environments. Initially, the prayer structure will be erected at the King Abdulaziz International Airport's Western Hajj Terminal in Jeddah, an iconic structure designed by SOM and a recipient of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Following the biennale's four-month duration, the edifice will be disassembled and re-erected in the JAX District, a historical industrial area in Diriyah that has been reimagined as a hub for cultural output and creative endeavors.

The competition brief necessitated that contenders consider the diverse spatial and environmental characteristics of both locations. In Jeddah, the prayer area will occupy a vast open expanse beneath the terminal's distinctive tensile roof. Conversely, its enduring placement in Diriyah will situate it within a more condensed urban setting, characterized by repurposed industrial warehouses. The challenge was to devise a design that could forge a cohesive architectural identity across these disparate contexts, while simultaneously upholding the practical demands of a contemporary prayer space.

The four finalist firms bring a variety of geographical and disciplinary insights to the competition. Al-Jawad Pike, founded in London in 2014, is distinguished by its research-driven methodology and a focus on material expression and atmospheric qualities. Civil Architecture, operating from Bahrain and Kuwait, explores the interplay between building design, civic existence, and current conditions in Southwest Asia through both completed projects and academic publications. Los Angeles-based MILLIØNS engages in architecture, exhibitions, furniture design, and research, frequently developing projects informed by historical, cultural, and geographical studies. NEW SOUTH, led by architect Meriem Chabani and architect-anthropologist John Edom, integrates architectural design, urban planning, and anthropology in projects that delve into themes of heritage, migration, and collective identity.

The shortlisted teams will now proceed to the final evaluation phase, which will be overseen by a distinguished jury. Prince Nawaf bin Ayyaf, the Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Arabia's Architecture and Design Commission, will chair the jury. The panel is anticipated to comprise experts in architectural practice, history, sustainability, and Islamic architecture. Submissions will be judged based on their architectural merit, adherence to the competition's objectives, and capacity to forge a profound atmosphere for worship and reflection. Upon its inauguration alongside the third Islamic Arts Biennale in November 2027, the structure is poised to become a lasting architectural contribution to the JAX District and Diriyah's dynamic cultural landscape.

In an era defined by accelerating climate change and soaring energy demands, the imperative to revisit and integrate time-honored architectural cooling strategies has never been more pressing. This article explores the resurgence of interest in traditional building methods that have, for centuries, provided effective thermal comfort in diverse climates. As modern society grapples with the environmental and economic burdens of conventional air conditioning, the wisdom embedded in ancient passive cooling techniques offers a compelling blueprint for sustainable future urban development, particularly in rapidly expanding megacities in Africa and Asia, which are disproportionately affected by rising temperatures.

Across civilizations, indigenous building practices evolved to harmonize with local environmental conditions, utilizing readily available materials and profound insights into natural ventilation, shading, and thermal mass. These solutions, honed over generations, enabled structures to remain cool without relying on mechanical systems, a stark contrast to today's energy-intensive approaches. The globalization of architectural styles and construction practices, while offering certain efficiencies and access to new technologies, has unfortunately led to a homogenization that often disregards these invaluable localized cooling traditions. This has not only severed the continuity of architectural knowledge transmission but also amplified dependence on complex global supply chains for building components, further distancing us from sustainable, context-specific design.

The current global energy landscape underscores the urgency of this re-evaluation. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the energy consumption attributed to air conditioning and electric fans constitutes nearly a fifth of the total electricity usage in buildings worldwide. This figure is projected to skyrocket, with the number of air conditioning units expected to more than triple by 2050. Such an increase would necessitate an amount of electricity equivalent to the combined current consumption of India and China, placing an unsustainable strain on global energy grids and exacerbating greenhouse gas emissions. The IEA's executive director, Fatih Birol, rightly identifies this burgeoning demand as a significant 'blind spot' in contemporary energy discourse. Coupled with the increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves globally, as highlighted by the IPCC, the need for innovative yet sustainable cooling solutions becomes paramount.

Looking ahead, the convergence of traditional cooling wisdom with cutting-edge architectural innovation presents a pathway toward resilient and environmentally responsible urban environments. Architects and designers are increasingly exploring how principles such as strategic shading, natural ventilation paths, evaporative cooling, and the careful selection of building materials—techniques inherent in ancient architecture—can be seamlessly integrated into modern designs. This approach not only addresses the immediate challenge of thermal comfort but also champions a more holistic, sustainable relationship between built environments and their natural surroundings, promising a cooler, more livable future for all.