On Weaving: Inside the winning project of the inaugural AlMusalla Prize

First winner of the international competition for designs of prayer spaces is unveiled at Jeddah’s Islamic Arts Biennale

Last summer, when On Weaving was named the winner of the inaugural AlMusalla Prize, an international competition for designs of modular prayer spaces, the team behind the proposal had little time to celebrate.

The accolade merely signalled the beginning of a challenging journey to realise the project in time for the Islamic Arts Biennale, where it has been unveiled.

“From the moment we won the competition until handover, we’re talking about less than six months of work,” says Nicolas Fayad, a founding partner of East Architecture Studio. The timeframe seemed restrictive, considering the scope of the project, but put the proposal’s aim to the test.

“It is supposed to be a project that was easily assembled but also easily disassembled,” Fayad tells The National. “It proved that we actually can do it.”

On Weaving is the result of a collaboration between East Architecture Studio, the UK engineering firm AKT II, and Lebanese visual artist Rayyane Tabet. The project reimagines a communal prayer space as a modular structure built from recycled palm tree wastes.

The structure is a highlight display in the outdoor section of the Islamic Arts Biennale, which is running until May 25 at the Western Hajj Terminal of Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport.

It comprises stacked cubic forms that have been perfectly centred under the oculus of one of the tent-like canopies of the open-air space. The panels are walled with thin vertical weaves, which have been naturally died in blues, yellows, reds and greens.

The rugs that have been fitted in the prayer areas have also been woven and dyed with a similar approach. The mud floor is left unfinished, instilling an earthy and welcoming atmosphere to the space.

The central space takes several cues from the topologies of mosque courtyards. Individual areas have also been designated as prayer spaces for men and women.

On Weaving is a highlight display in the outdoor section of the Islamic Arts Biennale. Photo: Diriyah Biennale Foundation

On Weaving incorporates more than two tonnes of waste materials from 150 date palm trees sourced locally from Saudi Arabia. The team utilised modern approaches to use the waste to its full potential.

“You have to also go back to the source and embrace it and understand how, with the tools we have at hand, we can actually push the boundary and preserve those traditional skills,” Fayad says.

“This is very much present in this project, which brings together the ingenuity of engineering a waste material, and using machinery as well as handweaving techniques.”

For the woven components of the structure, the team relied on the skills and artistry of several Saudi weavers. “The rugs – and there are 80 of them – are actually all hand woven by women artisans for the past two months,” Fayad says.

“We had to work very closely with them, to also learn from them. Because we suggested a design, a pattern, but it had to be adjusted to the way of the weave itself.

“We had to consider how the materials came together, where we could introduce colour. How does the colour dye in the natural material. It was really a give and take. The handmade aspect is also present on the mud floor. It’s fully handmade and we embrace the imperfections of the floor.”

While its function as a prayer space is important, On Weaving has a larger purpose. It aims to underscore the building potential of palm tree waste, and how materials that have long been traditionally used in the region’s vernacular architecture can be applied to modern, sustainable designs.

On Weaving incorporates more than two tonnes of waste materials from some 150 date palm trees. Photo: Diriyah Biennale Foundation

“We were interested in thinking conceptually of what a musalla actually is,” Fayad says. “Essentially it is a space also for knowledge and knowledge production. It was important for us that the final product relates somehow this gained knowledge from our end, using the waste material, for example, and revealing what you could potentially do with it.”

Fayad says that once the biennale concludes, he hopes the structure will be reassembled in other places to become a public space, which can function as a prayer as well as communal area. On Weaving can take different forms, depending on the need and limitations of the area.

“We strongly believe that the musalla has to be relocated to leave an impact, and directing it towards a community in need,” he says.

“We had originally thought that or suggested that the musalla can actually be broken down in different parts to create either smaller musallas spread out in other regions of the kingdom. Or maybe also allowing for other functions to feed into the smaller musallas.

“We also envisioned that the weave itself can be reclaimed by local artists, where we would invite artists to rethink the weave. So the weave would be this ephemeral layer to the project itself, but the timbre would always stay as a legacy.”