Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The NY Mosque design-What does it really mean?


Sharif El-Gamal is the project developer of the Cordoba house.
And its release of the final design is raising reasonable question and outrage.

Blogger Pam Geller, a leading foe of the project, has denounced the honeycomb design as a representation of "crashing Stars of David". 
Now some will say she is just grasping at straws and she psychotic in her vision.

However the design firm of Soma Architecture claims their designs are “soma's field of activities ranges from the development of research-based design strategies and experimental realization methodsremains mutable and individually interpretable.

This Arabic architecture technique for the Cordoba House is called Mashrabiya. Mashrabiya is a design that represents ‘veils drawn against the outside world and behind their cool shield of latticework those inside did recline in shaded privacy while gazing out at the tumult of the streets below’.

Some have also said this Cordoba House will be for all to come and enjoy. A community center.
Other observers have interpreted the conceptual plans as a statement on the project's broader interfaith message. Ed Pilkington, a writer for the U.K. Guardian, contends the structure's Star of David echo is one among several design elements crafted consciously in homage to other religions. 

However, today the project developer said this - El-Gamal “Four of the 16 floors will be a swimming pool and sports center, one floor will be a child care center, and two floors at the bottom will be a prayer space… for Muslims.

That’s some community center and homage to ‘other religions’ huh?......

OH, one more thing… The Architect design firm “Currently operates offices in Vienna and Salzburg, Austria"… Not even American.  

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