rafael de la-hoz creates habitable natural oasis for the noble quran

rafael de la-hoz creates habitable natural oasis for the noble quran
all images courtesy of rafael de la-hoz

madrid-based rafael de la-hoz has revealed the visuals for his entry in the ‘noble quran oasis’ competition that represents the spiritual beliefs of islam. ‘if the aim is to celebrate the meaning of madinah and the importance of islam there is no better coherence than doing it through and for the quran. therefore, the identity of this cultural center should emanate directly from the quran. from the meaning of its lecture,’ de la-hoz said. soon after analyzing the text, the designer realized that there are no references to any particular architectural typology. as opposed going into detail describing any buildings or structures, the book lyrically paints pictures of gardens, fountains, and streams. for these reasons, the project works to create conditions for a holy oasis in al-madinah al-munawwarah, the capital of the religion’s culture, that grabs the attention of the city’s visitors.

the theoretical concept was taken from the sacred command that the book is to never touch the ground, but must be lifted and placed on a base. the belief has been abstracted and illustrated by roof element that embodies the holy pages of the quran resting on the four buildings which reflect the human hand.

view of the form with its lifted vertices representing the idea that the book must never touch the ground

the central plate of the enclosure reflects the core of the book seen in every version of today’s society. the calligraphy located at its heart is a hadeeth taken from prophet muhammad PBUH. additionally, an artistic approach of vectorizing the passage has been applied to the final decorated result. the focal point of the project allows occupants to connect with nature amongst the calmness of water and greenery where they may reflect upon all the lessons and knowledge taken from the different components of the space.

aerial view at night with the typographic element placed within the central void of the roof

the rest of the site is protected under the shadows projected by the curved shape to provide a comfortable environment for pedestrians to walk around and celebrate different activities. the layout, landscape, and internal spaces have been designed to maximize interactions with the surroundings and highlight an inviting public building representative of islam.

view of the water with perforations shining light onto the walkable surfaces

the central oasis allows visitors to connect with nature amongst the calmness of water 

the site is protected under the shadows projected by the roof providing a comfortable environment for pedestrians 

floor plan

section a-a 

section b-b

section c-c

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.