%0 Artwork %D 2007 %T Chandgaon Mosque %A Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury %? Faysal Kabir %? Anup Kumar Basak %? S.M. Hafizur Rahman %K Civic Buildings %K Mosque %X

With its stark, geometric clarity, the Chandgaon mosque stands apart from many such structures that have reduced architectural features associated with the usual mosque type to the level of kitsch. It makes a definitive architectural statement in a different direction, pointing to the contemporary, to a desire to live in spaces that reflect the universal values of the present day.

%C Chittagong %<

These dynamics can be seen in the Chandgaon Mosque which is located next to the older pre-existing mosque building. The older building consists of series of additions to the original simple rectangular structure. This structure which is today used as a medrese (school) has typical features associated with mosques of Bangladesh such as a cupola, pointed windows along with a covered veranda. (According to the long term planning of the Chandgaon Mosque, the older building will be razed). This series of courts, closed and open, with permeable walls is standard typology of the mosque architecture of Bangladesh. From city to countryside while there might be significant variations in style and materials for these mosques, the organization of a open porch/court and a covered main space is a constant. Even in dense urban areas where these mosques are squeezed into narrow plots this spatial sequence is maintained.