Presidential Mosque
Astana / Kazakhstan, 2010

The Presidential Mosque was proposed in Astana, the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan. The urban and rapid morphological transformation of Astana is of great importance in history. In 1997, Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa proposed a masterplan for Astana following an international competition and his masterplan restructured the city’s infrastructure, airport, housing and transportation. At that time, the urban design decisions of Kurokawa were elaborated with the important structures designed by British architect Norman Foster and Italian architect Manfredi Nicoletti. At that time, the architect presented a city plan, where the metabolic and symbiotic relationship converged. In this sense, the city still follows a linear zoning system instead of the radius pattern.

The Presidential Mosque, which is located parallel to the Ishim river dividing Astana in two, has been proposed with the sensitivity that the building can be a part of the historical urban landscape with its linearly planned wide avenues, squares, streets and parks and be able to exist as a modest building section of Astana. Located at the very strategic point of the city and proposed in parallel to the Presidential Palace, the mosque gives its front facade to Ishim River. The building was designed on the basis of its simple and modest structure with its nuances to create its own symbolic value.

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For this reason, the architecture of the building related to its tectonics was designed in a language that was far away from exaggerated appearance. The structure, which is almost never perceived in the urban landscape during the day, reveals its own splendor and rising facade with only lighting elements at night.

In this plain language, it is the proportions that create the monumental architecture. In the entrance, the space perception is on the human scale while it becomes almighty increasingly so that, in the first encounter with the building, the human perception is appealed to on its own scale rather than establishing an overwhelming superiority and domination. Once inside the building, the gradually increasing rise and proportions is now in its service. It creates a spacious venue that provides the necessary sense of peace and inner balance for worship.

The materials to be used in the construction of the building are recyclable and natural materials.

The light is taken inside in a controlled manner, and the large full surfaces have been designed so as to minimize the heating and cooling loads with high insulation values.

Project facts

Architectural design: R.Güneş Gökçek

Architectural office: YPM

Project team: Tunç Kayıkçı, Rabia Sakçı, Altuğ Gönençen, Erkan Erdoğan

Project year: 2010

Land area: 125.000 m2

Construction area: 25.000 m2