The owner, a hotel operator in Lahore, left the architectural expression of the building up to the architect and was exceptionally receptive to the idea of breaking away from the 'traditional mosque semiotics' (sic!).

Exterior, mosque entrance as seen from the hotel
Exterior, mosque entrance as seen from the hotel: The architects claim the building 'broken away' from 'traditional mosque semiotics' by undermining elements such as the minaret, the dome, and the minbar. © Irfan Naqi/Aga Khan Award for Architecture

The mass of the building is very simple: a square volume with each side equivalent to about four times its height, with two small towers located at diagonally opposite corners. The two front sides of the square are carved out to create an arcade. The arcade on the north and east sides of the building acts as a buffer between the square plan of the prayer hall and the main grounds of the hotel.

Floor Plan
Floor Plan: The 45° rotation of the floor pattern and the 1:2 ratio of the prayer rug created a rigid yet simple system of proportioning in the building. This proportioning system was carried into the elevations. © Arcop Associates

An open portico at the northeast corner of the arcade leads diagonally to the prayer hall. The north extension of the arcade around the prayer hall conceals the ablution area and the restrooms. The ablution area is accessed from the entrance portico, while the restrooms are accessed from the rear through a door in the tower. The auxiliary functions of ablution, restrooms, imam, and library rooms are concealed by a concrete block screen wall. The screen wall is placed between the columns of the arcade and does not disturb the rhythm of the arcade.

Light filtering through the Jali, the mosque had to maintain the modernist look of the original hotel
Light filtering through the Jali, the mosque had to maintain the modernist look of the original hotel The architects devised a concrete block screen wall system. This system is particularly reminiscent of the Mughal screen walls known locally as jali screens. Each screen wall is square in shape. Simple white pillars separate the screen segments.  © Arcop Associates

The people of the neighbourhood seem to be unaware of the mosque's existence altogether. they worship at the two small mosques located in their area, and the strict security requirements of the hotel make the wandering of unknown worshippers into the back of the complex rather difficult1. The majority of users of the mosque are the hotel staff. Guests seem to use the mosque only during conventions that have a  religious character. The users are all men, and the mosque does not provide for a separate area for women. 

Text Source: the 1998 Technical Review Summary by Omar Hallaj, and The Architects' Application for Aga-Khan Award-Contest

  • 1. Broken grass marks the boundary within the neighbourhood

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