David Adjaye’s new interfaith complex welcomes all in Abu Dhabi

How can architecture simultaneously celebrate our similarities and differences?that’s right Sir David Adjaye In designing the Abraham Family Residence, a new interfaith complex in Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Cultural DistrictThe project, which opened in March, unites three separate houses of worship — a mosque, a synagogue and a church — in one location, hoping to foster dialogue and acceptance. To achieve this goal, AD100 CompanyAdjaye Associates Structures of the same shape and size were designed, each as a concrete cube approximately 100 feet on a side. Despite this, the buildings maintain their own unique visual identity. In the case of the Eminence Ahmed El-Tayeb Mosque (above), each facade has seven thin arches (a number that recurs in Islam). Meanwhile, the Moses ben Maimon Synagogue (centre) features multi-tiered monumental trusses that pay homage to the thatched leaves of traditional Sukh. St. Francis Church (bottom) reveals slender columns that guide the light, a symbol of divinity.The siting also varies, with mosques facing Meccasynagogue Jerusalem, and the Church of the Rising Sun. The trio, however, occupy a shared plinth with a garden and a meeting place. Think of it as a common spiritual foundation. Adjaye says, “I believe that architecture should aim to embody the world we want to live in, a world that is receptive, open and progressive.” We couldn’t agree more. abrahamicfamilyhouse.ae