Research Post: Abijo Mosque by PWDC

 In this piece of research, I will be looking at the design of the Abijo Mosque in Lagos, Nigeria done by Patrickwaheed Design Consultancy (PWDC). The building takes it's name from the location and was a donation to the Abijo community through an organization called 'Crescent Bearers' in order to promote religious, social and cultural community centered activities.

 

Abijo Mosque (2020) by Patrickwaheed Design Consultancy

 The buildings style is of contemporary architecture while also combining some geometric elements in its structure. It also takes inspiration from traditional Yoruba mud buildings as a way to reflect on the culture and environment of the people. The building can be entered from three different sides and there is a mezzanine floor level with a separate entrance for the female worshippers. In order to accommodate more worshippers, the north, south and west walls feature openings with sliding doors which extend the prayer hall. The sliding doors are also have louvre windows built into them for ventilation even when the door panels are closed.

 On to the exterior of the building, the architects wanted to promote sustainability by using a locally sourced material known as laterite. The leading architect states in an interview with ArchDaily, "It was all about developing the consciousness of wanting to understand how we used to construct back in the day, and how we use the materials that we used to work with, and also about the responsibility that we have for our environment, of trying to lower the carbon footprint" (Shokunbi, 2023). They experimented with the laterite, mixing it with sand and cement in different measurements in order to keep the tone and functional properties of laterite such as its insulation properties therefore keeping the inside of the mosque cool. Their goal was to keep the building cool without the use of air conditioning. They also wanted the building to have an "earthy" colour theme throughout the design to match the exterior walls as the steel door panels were acid etched to give it a rusty colour. This finish was applied to other elements of the building such as the railings and door frames. The choice of finishing technique completely cover the exterior, 'creating a unique visual language' (Yakubu, 2023). The architect states that he was inspired by his culture, their buildings and their way of life, “I feel that we’ve got to a stage that we should be able to have a language, an identifiable language, that is ours, based on what we have locally, not just from a material point of view, but from our understanding, and also from our response to context” (Shokunbi, 2023).

The design of this mosque has much significance through its use of locally sourced materials to build a contemporary place of worship

 

References

Yakubu, P. (2023). "Exploring Local Material in Contemporary Architecture: PWDC Transforms Building Surfaces in Nigeria." [online] ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/1004325/exploring-local-material-in-contemporary-architecture-pwdc-develops-laterite-tyrolean-technique-and-transforms-building-surfaces-in-nigeria [Accessed 18 Feb. 2024].