66. Cambridge Central Mosque

The First purpose built mosque in Cambridge was the vision of Dr Timothy Winters, head of the school of divinity at Cambridge university. Marks Barfield won 2009 invited competition and the scheme was finally completed April this year after 2 years build at a cost of £23m. All funded by private individuals, businesses and donations both local and international, its opening was timed with the Eid celebrations after Ramadan and accommodated 1000 worshipers. An eco friendly mosque uses passive means to ventilate, solar panels for heating and hot water and rainwater harvesting for flushing toilets. Its is the first mosque of its kind anywhere in the world.

The garden and water feature provides a peaceful buffer between Mill Road and a forecourt to the Mosque as well as referencing Islamic garden design as well as English gardens with typical Yew hedgerows.

The structural vaulting of the oak glulam columns was inspired from the gothic architecture of Kings college Cambridge symbolises the heaven and earth coming together and makes reference to the first mosque built by the prophet Mohammad with trees for columns.
The open plan foyer is clad with exposed Cambridge brick patterning reading iconic verses from the Quran. There are no minarets but a dome placed centrally floods daylight into the prayer hall.

The mosque is both gender inclusive through and sect inclusive and aims to provide a community hub for its visitors and worshipers alike.