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How can architecture simultaneously celebrate our similarities and differences? That was the challenge posed to Sir David Adjaye when designing the Abrahamic Family House, a new interfaith complex in Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District. Opened in March, the project unites three separate houses of worship—a mosque, a synagogue, and a church—on one site, with the hope of promoting dialogue and acceptance. In response to that goal, the AD100 firm Adjaye Associates devised structures of identical shape and size, each a concrete cube measuring some 100 feet per side. The buildings nonetheless maintain their own distinct visual identity. In the case of Eminence Ahmed El-Tayeb Mosque (top), each façade features seven attenuated arches (the number is of recurring significance in Islam). Meanwhile, Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue (middle) bears layers of monumental trusses that nod to the thatched fronds of traditional sukkahs. And St. Francis Church (bottom) reveals slender columns that coax the light, a symbol of divinity. Siting likewise varies, with the mosque oriented toward Mecca, the synagogue to Jerusalem, and the church to the rising sun. The trio, however, occupies a shared plinth, with a garden and a forum for gatherings. Consider it common spiritual ground. Says Adjaye: “I believe architecture should work to enshrine the kind of world we want to live in, a world of acceptance, openness, and constant advancement.” We couldn’t agree more. abrahamicfamilyhouse.ae
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