Meet the architect for the
Abrahamic Family House
 |
| Sir David Adjaye Obe, Architect of the Abrahamic Family House, United Arab Emirates |
Award-winning architect Sir David Adjaye Obe, selected for
the Abrahamic Family House, was introduced and the model of the project
unveiled during the Celebration of Human Fraternity in New York on Friday.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp
It has only been two weeks since award-winning architect Sir
David Adjaye Obe received the news that the plans he submitted for the
Abrahamic Family House had been selected. The project was first announced in
February by Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince. It is the first initiative to embody the
ideals of the Document on Human Fraternity. Sir David Adjaye Obe was introduced
and his model for the project was unveiled at the Celebration of Human
Fraternity in New York City on Friday. Groundbreaking is expected to take place
in 2020. The project may be completed by 2022.
Three buildings, one foundation
A church, a synagogue and a mosque will share the same
foundation. It will be a landmark in the United Arab Emirates, located on
Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. Above all, it will mark a significant
transformation in human history. As Msgr. Yoannes Gaid explained, it will turn
what has been used in the past as a means of division among peoples, into a
point of contact.
New architectural typology
Sr David Adjaye said that the project will represent a new
typology of world architecture. “There has never been a building which houses
the three faiths in one form”, he said. Rather than mixing the three, up he
wanted to preserve “the unique experience of each of the faiths” while at the
same time “connecting them all with one device”.
Connecting link
The connection Mr Adjaye decided on is a garden -- an image
that has important significance in each of the world’s three major religions.
Each of the houses of worship can be peered into from the vantage point of the
raised garden, which will house an educational centre. The three worship spaces
have the same dimensions but orient in the direction and contain structural
elements inherited within each specific faith tradition.
Night aerial view of
the Abrahamic Family House
Architecture at the service of peace
Mr Adjaye explained that leaders have always come together
with architects to “discuss how to make structures that mean things in the
world—for civilizations or for a sense of ourselves”. He feels that the
Abrahamic Family House project fits within this paradigm. On a personal level,
he saw the opportunity to create a building that is completely conflict-free.
To create a structure that conveys the message of peace “is a very powerful
sort of thinking”, he said. “It’s not about territory and it’s not about us and
them. It’s about all. And that’s really, really strong”.
Once in a generation moment
Describing what it was like to have his submission chosen,
Mr Adjaye said that it feels like a “once in a generation moment”. As soon as
he and his colleagues got over the shock of the announcement, he said that he
felt “deeply humbled to have the opportunity to build such a thing in the
world”.
About Mr Adjaye
Sir David Adjaye OBE was born in Tanzania of Ghanaian
parents. In 2000 he opened his own studio, Adjaye Associates. He is noted for
an ingenious use of materials combined with a sculptural ability. Mr Adjaye has
contributed to the construction of important buildings in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The National Museum of
African American History and Culture, situated on the National Mall in Washington,
DC, and completed in 2016, is his largest project to date.
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