Sir David Adjaye says Abrahamic Family House celebrates the commonality between faiths

The architect behind the multi-faith complex in Abu Dhabi spoke about his inspiration and vision for it

Sir David Adjaye, left, discusses his design for the Abrahamic Family House with Chris Dercon at the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Acclaimed architect Sir David Adjaye discussed his vision for the highly anticipated Abrahamic Family House, the interfaith centre due to open this year.

He wants the space — which includes a mosque, church and synagogue — to be a place that connects people, and welcomes discussion about their roots and faith.

Currently being built on Saadiyat Island, it aims to represent and preserve the three Abrahamic religions — Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

The centre was born as a physical manifestation of the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together — which was signed in Abu Dhabi by Pope Francis of the Catholic Church and Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, in February 2019.

In September that year, Adjaye Associates won the Abrahamic Family House competition, with a design that was unveiled at an event in New York City.

Speaking to art historian, curator, and museum director Chris Dercon at the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, Adjaye said the team was "humbled and honoured" to have won.

“Essentially, the inspiration was to understand that the three religions really emanate from this extraordinary region,” Adjaye said.

The renders and video Adjaye shared during his conversation showed arresting spaces and forms, that have been directly inspired by the commonality between the three religions.

Adjaye’s vision of the shared elements of the three faiths expresses itself through a common architectural language between the three monumental structures, creating visual harmony, while still evoking distinctive design elements that speak directly to their individuality.

“I wanted to create something that will really distil the essence of the three religions and create a certain purity or certain purity to the idea,” he said. “Our buildings are quite modest but they needed to have a presence that would really complement the relationship of the others, but also have a distinct language.”

An artist's illustration of the Abrahamic Family House set to be built on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Adjaye Associates

The interior of the mosque. Abrahamic Family House will bring together Islam, Christianity and Judaism through three main buildings – a mosque, a church and a synagogue. Courtesy Adjaye Associates

The synagogue. Courtesy Adjaye Associates

The interior of the synagogue. While the three places of worship are of the same height, the designs and interiors will differ significantly. Courtesy Adjaye Associates

The interior of the church. Courtesy Adjaye Associates

The exterior of the church. “When I looked at the history of the architecture that has represented these three different faiths, I realised architecture has also been complicit in a description of the differences of these faiths,” Mr Adjaye said. Courtesy Adjaye Associates

The courtyard of the church. Courtesy Adjaye Associates

Each separate building will connect through a central garden that will house a museum and centre for education. Courtesy Adjaye Associates

The visitor Centre of Abrahamic Family House. Courtesy Adjaye Associates

A view of the podium. Courtesy Adjaye Associates

The architecture is powerful yet humble and welcoming, filled with light as an element and delicate in form.

The houses of worship are designed as three clear geometric cubes that sit on a plinth, connected by pathways and gardens. The structures share equal external dimensions — height, width and a unifying roof — emphasising through design that no faith is more dominant than the other.

While their shapes are identical, the structures are not. Although unified by their form, they stand unaligned with different orientations.

The mosque will be orientated toward Makkah, the synagogue's bema towards Jerusalem and the church's altar towards the east and the sun. Each house of worship will have its own separate entrance, but the site has been designed to slope up toward a podium in the centre, where all three structures can be seen from the garden at once.

Meanwhile, each structure's exterior takes the essence of the design elements associated with their respective faiths and interprets them through the facade in an almost minimalistic, though commanding, way.

“This is about respecting these three extraordinary religions with their histories and their cultures and their evolution,” Adjaye said. “It’s to bring them into a space of dialogue and to bring them into a space where they see each other. So that really was important.”

Nature plays a pivotal role in the design. The garden in the Abrahamic Family House connects the three spaces of worship, where people can have open dialogues and celebrate the collective history, culture and identity of the Abrahamic faiths.

“In the centre of that garden there's a gathering space for several hundreds of people,” he said. “The idea is to use that space for dialogue," he added.

And, while in each house of worship visitors can learn about each faith, there will also be a fourth space not connected to any of the religions. This educational centre will host a variety of programmes and events acting as a space devoted to mutual understanding and peace.

Adjaye also discussed how the Abrahamic Family House is a global reflection of a new generation interested in remaking the idea of “the city” — particularly how cities need to create spaces that consider, include and welcome one another.

“What's really beautiful about this monumental call that has been made by the government of Abu Dhabi is that it is a place that really speaks about the different cultures of people,” Adjaye said. “And religion is part of the culture of people.”

The 2022 edition of the Culture Summit - in pictures

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, founder of Barjeel Art Foundation, takes part in the discussion on the third and final day of Culture Summit Abu Dhabi. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

Manal Ataya, director general at Sharjah Museums Authority, also took part in the panel.

Maya Allison, executive director and chief curator at the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, joined the discussion.

A panellist speaks during the event.

The New Canon was one of the panels held on day three of the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi.

Famed pianist, composer and educator Danilo Perez waves to the crowd.

Former minister and now diplomatic advisor Anwar Gargash. Victor Besa / The National

Visitors were treated to a traditional Al Ayala dance, where performers hold thin bamboo canes and move to steady drum rhythms.

Al Ayala is often performed at weddings and other celebrations.

Chris Dercon in conversation with architect Sir David Adjaye.

A session on Taking Bollywood Global: Dynamics of Diversity, moderated by Hans Fraikin, Abu Dhabi Film Commissioner.

Kabir Khan, director of '83', in the conversation on Bollywood.

Taking Bollywood Global: Dynamics of Diversity - Aashish Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Lyca Productions.

Andre Timmins, founder and director of Wizcraft and IIFA, as part of the discussion on Bollywood.

A member of the audience watching a panel called 'Taking Bollywood Global: Dynamics of Diversity'.

Day three of the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi opened with a traditional performance from the mountain regions.

The event was a meeting of minds, with visitors from across various sectors sharing their thoughts on the post-Covid cultural world.

Omar Saif Ghobash, UAE ambassador to Vatican, speaks at the event.

Grammy Award-winning producer Jimmy Jam discussed the regional music scene.

Mohamed Al Mubarak in conversation with Frank Gehry, Architect, Gehry Partners.

Robot artist Ai-Da, left, in conversation with The National's Hareth Al Bustani, far right, with her creator Aidan Meller, looking on.

Performance by Iraqi oud virtuoso Naseer Shamma.

The audience listens to Mohamed Al Mubarak in conversation with Frank Gehry, Architect, Gehry Partners.

Harvey Mason Jr, chief executive of Recording Academy, lecturing on 'Music and Influence on Global Culture'.

An attendee on day two of the Culture Summit in Abu Dhabi.

A discussion on 'Mentoring for Impact', with moderator Fiammetta Rocco, senior editor and culture editor of The Economist, and speakers Erica Love, director of Culture Central, Eric Wainaina, artist and founder of The Nairobi Musical Theatre Initiative, and Gael Hedding, director of Berklee Abu Dhabi.

A peformance of 'The Roots' by French Algerian choreographer Kader Attou, a dance performance in which he returns to the origins of hip-hop with an acrobatic celebration of the genre. Eleven dancers perform different facets of the former underground culture and show how the body can bend to different beats: from breakdance to Smurf, electric boogie to popping.

A discussion on 'AI and the Future of Culture', with moderator Priya Khanchandani, head of curatorial + interpretation at the Design Museum, and speakers Aidan Meller, director of Ai-Da Robot and Oxfordians, and Suhair Khan, founder and director of Open/Ended Design.

Artificial intelligence-powered robot artist Ai-Da at the Culture Summit in Abu Dhabi. Ai-Da's work reflects human aesthetic tastes and the conditions by which they are shaped.

Ai-Da in conversation with Tim Marlow, chief executive and director of London's Design Museum, who analysed the creative philosophy of the world’s first humanoid artist.

Mr Marlow introduces Ai-Da at the summit.

Eyal Weizman, director of research agency Forensic Architecture, speaks on the use of technology such as machine learning, as well as the importance of modelling and simulations.

UAE Minister of Culture and Youth Noura Al Kaabi gives the keynote address.

This year’s Culture Summit will be attended by 1,000 people while another 5,000 will take part online.

The summit seeks to identify ways in which culture can transform societies and communities around the globe.

The conference brings together decision makers in culture, heritage, public policy and technology, as well as artists, thinkers and performers from around the world.

The summit is now in its fifth year.

It is organised by Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism.

The theme of this year's event is 'A Living Culture'.

The summit has returned with a more extensive programme.

UAE Minister of Culture and Youth, Noura Al Kaabi at the summit.

In-person attendance returned to the event after it moved online for two years owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In only five years, the summit has grown from a noble idea into a staple of the international cultural calendar.

Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT — Abu Dhabi, arrives with Steve Harvey.

Zaki Nusseibeh, cultural adviser to the President, attends the event.

Mr Nusseibeh moderated a discussion on 'The role of culture in making resilient and shared societies', featuring former Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite, former Malawian president Joyce Banda and former Croatian president Ivo Josipovic.

Mr Al Mubarak makes the welcome speech and opening remarks.

Ms Banda, former president of Malawi, takes part in the discussion moderated by Mr Nusseibeh.