Muslim wash and prayer house, Hamburg
The graveyard Finkenriek in Hamburg was expanded by an Muslim burial ground and an adjacent wash- and prayer house, so that burials can be carried out according to the Muslim rite.
The grave fields as well as the wash- and prayer house are oriented towards Mecca in the direction of prayer. The wash and prayer house is free-standing, has a massive construction and combines all functions compactly under a tent roof.
It has a washroom for ritual washing, a prayer room, two waiting rooms, sanitary rooms and a covered area with a death stone for the farewell prayer of the dead. Two entrances lead into the building, separate for women and men. The prayer room can be divided into two areas with a curtain.
The distinctive design elements of the wash- and prayer house are the cantilevered tent roof and the modern implementation of architectural elements from Islamic architecture in the facade and the interior. The light, sandstone-colored masonry depicts circumferential geometrical ornamental patterns on the facades through projections and recesses in the masonry bond. In order to guarantee the intimacy of use despite the generous windows for natural light incidence, the brickwork also covers the window openings at a distance and acts as a filter between inside and outside.
Designed and build 2017 – 2020
