Green and holy: Mosque helps save environment

An environment-friendly mosque will be built on the principles of sustainable development in Dubai Maritime City, XPRESS has learnt.

The futuristic mosque is believed to be the first ‘green’ religious structure of its kind in the UAE, according to Stephen Marney, general manager, Middle East Centre for Sustainable Development.

The centre guides developers in the city on how to meet green standards, compulsory for every new building in the UAE from January 1, 2008.

“This is a challenging project. The principles for any green building are the same but the dynamics differ,” he said.

“In a mosque, the orientation of the building is already decided due to religious purposes. We know the structure will face east to west, so accordingly, we have to study the movement of the sun and ensure ways to capture sunlight.”

This is done by a computer model that analyses which materials can be used to harness maximum energy. “We will study how to best use the southern facet of the structure to harness sunlight especially since a mosque has few windows.”

Solar panels at the mosque will have to be concealed, said Marney. “Due to religious purposes we cannot show the panels. They will be hidden behind the parapets of the mosque.”

Solar energy will power appliances and lighting. The vapour from the air conditioning will be condensed and used strictly for irrigation. “The air-conditioning system is slightly expensive but it helps monitor the CO2 level,” said Marney.

Yet, at the moment, he said, one cannot estimate the level of certification the building will have. “We cannot determine how green the mosque will be because there are many different degrees to comply with. But we will attain the minimum regulation required and if possible try to exceed it.”

Every green building is certified according to their efficiency.

“We will design it in such a way that from the moment a person walks in and flicks a switch there will be energy saving,” said Marney.

Rashad Bukhash, head of architectural society, UAE, said, “Ancient Islamic buildings and mosques were built according to the human scale, and were not disproportionately large. Saving energy and materials is one of the teachings of Islam.”

And Marney added: “Constructing any eco-friendly building is expensive but energy savings is 21 per cent, which makes good economical sense. Given the amount of sunlight in Dubai, solar power is the next big thing”

Eco facts

The ‘green’ mosque features:

• Concealed solar panels
• Solar-powered lighting
• Landscaped areas irrigated using condensed water vapour from the air-conditioning
• Air-conditioning system equipped to monitor CO2 levels