Gate Avenue, the new premium urban retail, leisure and cultural development at the heart of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), is gearing up to bring its most-anticipated state-of-the-art mosque, which will be known as DIFC Grand Mosque, to the Centre's existing urban infrastructure. The mosque is scheduled to open in 2019.

With a capacity of over 500 worshippers, the mosque serves all five daily prayer times, Friday and Ramadan prayers, and is accessible 24 hours from street level through lifts and escalators.

Arif Amiri, chief executive officer of DIFC Authority, commented: "The DIFC masterplan continues to introduce state-of-the-art, urban architecture that is designed to enrich the experience of our growing community of professionals, residents and visitors alike. DIFC Grand Mosque, together with the broader world-class offering of Gate Avenue, marks an important addition to the interconnected ecosystem we have at DIFC, and bring a new dimension to the attractive infrastructure we have in place."

From a design perspective, the 14,500 sq. ft. DIFC mosque is set to create a new vernacular for this typology in the UAE, offering a modern, non-conformist facility with references to tradition. The building form is a simple cube within a cube, reflecting the iconic Gate Building of DIFC. While the exterior is minimal, the interior tends to be more elaborate as it introduces an expansive main chandelier that is inspired by the traditional Muqarnas. The outer cubist form uses a hanging mashrabiya screen that acts as a veil to provide shade and privacy to certain areas and opens at the public areas. The screen is lifted to allow the intricate detail of the interior to be visible to the visitors of the area.

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