QUT Multi-Faith Centre
?
To create a destination that accommodates the worship of different faiths, for people to
engage with faith.
Objective
• To provide a space which members of the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Indigenous communities can carry out worship and maintain/consolidate religious identity.
• To provide general spaces for community activities.
• To act as a point of call for members of the general community for spiritual guidance or consultation.
• To act as a resource for learning and development of each of the faiths.
• To complement the environmental and cultural context of an urban university setting and the related activities that occur within it.
• To engage the greater university and urban population.
Who?....users….
Who?....users….
Religious Users
Non- Religious Users
Buddhists, Jews, Indigenous Australians, Muslims
People from other religions, non-believers
QUT staff and students, CBD workers, tourists, school children
Users….needs?
Religious Users
Non- Religious Users
Buddhists, Jews, Indigenous Australians, Muslims
People from other religions, non-believers
Worship, prayer, guidance, ceremonies, festivals
Social gatherings, education, visits, festivals, guidance
how does the Multi-Faith Centre accommodate these users?
how does the Multi-Faith Centre accommodate these users?
how does the Multi-Faith Centre deal with the interaction between the two groups?
1 2
3
1 how does the Multi-Faith Centre accommodate the Religious Users?
…..what does the practice of each faith need?
Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Indigenous Australia
users/flexibility + adaptability/religious requirements/circulation/size
Judaism
general services
Sukkot Branch WavingProcession
Sukkot ProcessionSimchat Torah Procession
Purim Festivals
Mikveh Bath Ritual
Rosh Hashanah Waterside Ritual
Buddhism
Bath house
Seated Meditation
Sukkot ProcessionWalking Meditation
Islam
prayer
ablution
Bazaar markets
Teaching
Indigenous Australia
ceremonies
Story telling
Education
Showers and Storage
Showers and Storage
Expected Usage Timetable
Prayer/ meditation
Prayer and Meditation
Classes
Classroom Bookings
Community Markets
Festivals
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
time 24hr clock
1 3 5 7 9 11 13
prayers
Prayer Times21/ 09/ 07
JUDAISMISLAM
11.2
11.3
11.4
11.5
11.6
11.7
11.8
11.9
12
12.1
time
AUGUST DECEMBER APRIL
month
I slam and Jewishmidday prayer time synchronicity
JUDAISMISLAM
Analysis- similar spaces…
Islamic Prayer Hall
Islamic Bazaar Space
Jewish Prayer Hall
Islamic Ablution Area
Jewish Purim Festival Space
Jewish Mikveh BathShower Spaces for
Indigenous Performers
Buddhist Bath House
Buddhist Meditation
Buddhist Walking Meditation
Indigenous Ceremonies
Indigenous Story Telling
Indigenous Education
Islamic TeachingJewish Roshanah Water Ritual
Islamic/Jewish Prayer Halls
Internal Spaces, Similar Circulation and Movement, Similar Scale, Religious Artefacts
clashing of usage times
SEPARATE SPACES
Bazaar Space/Purim Festival Space
open plan areas, similar circulation and movement patterns, presence of stalls, market/festival atmosphere
no clashes in usage times
MERGED SPACES
Buddhist Seated Meditation/Buddhist Walking Meditation/Indigenous Ceremony Space/Jewish Rosh Hashanah Ritual
no clashes in usage times
Open, undefined boundaries, connection with nature, similar scale
Different circulation and movement patterns
Occasional usage time clashes
ADJACENT SPACES
Indigenous Story Telling/Indigenous Education/Islamic Education
open plan areas, similar circulation and movement patterns, similar scales- small groups, functional similaritiesno clashes in usage times
MERGED SPACES
Islamic Ablution Area/Jewish Mikveh Bath/Buddhist Bathhouse/Indigenous Showers
occasional clashes in usage times
Enclosed area, visual restrictions, similar scale, transitional spaces, similar circulation and movement patterns, need for washing facilities
ADJACENT SPACES
Spatial Organisation
1
2
3
4
5
Islamic/Jewish prayer areas
Washing/Ablution spaces
Bazaar/festival areas
Outdoor Buddhist/Indigenous Areas
Education/Teaching Areas
Relative Sizes
Approximate populations according to demographic information
Sizes of worship areas to be decided accordingly
2 how does the Multi-Faith Centre accommodate the non-Religious Users in this local environment?
…..what does the surrounding community need?
university students, tourists, CBD workers, school children
users/local environment/flexibility + adaptability/size
Social spaces
Onlooking, observing of religious festivals
Information of each faith/Education
Participation in festivals
Chaplaincy
Lectures/conferences
Appreciation of the Spiritual
Requirements of General Public
3how does the Multi-Faith Centre deal with the interaction between the two groups?
…..how do we foster an engagement between the non-religious community and the religious community? What else could we achieve? Could we facilitate some interaction between each of the faiths?
flexibility + adaptability/circulation/local environment/ Architectural Design Requirements
Religious Area
General Area
QUT
sitting, gathering, socialising
listening to discussions
observing religious rituals/festivals
appreciating the spiritual
information from various faithsChaplaincy centre
Lecture/conference area
Open outdoor area for indigenous
Link to gardens Prayer spaces for Islam, Jewish followers
Meditation Area for Buddhists
Public Plaza//HEART of the Centre
Social space
Administration area and Chaplaincy above
HEART of the Centre, where interaction occurs
General population engaged by the Social Space
Religious areas
A connection to the Natural Landscape should always be maintained through some corridor to the Gardens
Architectural Design Requirements
• A central part of the brief is that the architectural qualities of the space formed by the Multi-Faith Centre must inspire a sense of the transcendence-– Such language ought to be derived from
qualities of established spiritual spaces
• The following three panels are stimulus that ought to be followed when creating place in the Multi-Faith Centre
Overall View!
• A central public plaza as the heart of the Multi-Faith Centre
• Differentiation between areas for religious purposes and areas for general community use
• General use – attract and engage the general local population
• Religious use – distinguished enough that the worship spaces are
distinctly sacred. – Open with strong connection to heart– Flexible, may be converted for conferences/seminars
social space// to attract university students and CBD workers to socialise and meet there, and also to allow them to observe the religious activities occurring, to listen in on the educational discussions
public plaza//
social space + open arena
open arena// spill over area for religious festivals, markets, Indigenous story telling, religious education discussions, facilitates discussions between religions Islamic prayer hall//
prayer mats, Quibla wall, prayer mat storage, furnished according to islamic requirements
Jewish prayer hall//Ark, Torah Scrolls, Bimah, Eternal Light, religious artefact storage, potential to be converted into a conference/seminar space, a connection to the outdoors for rituals
Buddhist prayer area//subtly defined open space connected to the outdoors, furnished according to Buddhist tradition, accommodates both seated and mobile meditation
Indigenous ceremony area//Outdoor area to accommodate Indigenous ceremonies, fires etc., little architectural intervention, Indigenous people to define their own zone
Chaplaincy//
space strongly connected to the central public plaza, yet private and separated enough for individuals
Administration//a space for the chaplain’s office and other staff