ENVIRONMENTALLY conscious Muslims have created Manchester’s first eco-mosque in the heart of Levenshulme.
With solar panels, underfloor heating, wood from renewable sources, low energy bulbs, and walls built from reclaimed stone, you could be forgiven in thinking you were reading specifications for a contemporary environmentally- friendly pad.
But this is not the latest high-profile housing development, it is a £3.5m eco-friendly mosque.
Until recently, the old Al-Markaz Al-Najmi mosque, on Woodfold Avenue, was housed in the former Maternity and Child Welfare centre, which started off life as a methodist chapel 80 years ago.
Mustafa Abdul Hussein, vice president of the mosque, said: “We had been using the building as a makeshift mosque for many years, then about five years ago we started thinking about building a new structure.
“The eco-element arises out of what a mosque is meant to be. It is meant to be friendly in every aspect, which includes being friendly to the environment. We should set an example and having eco-friendly features makes those congregating there aware of the issues.
“It hasn’t really been any more costly than if we were to do it any other way and there is a much greater gain to have with a mosque which creates its own energy.”
Not only is Al-Markaz al-Najmi ‘green’, it also fuses contrasting architectural styles to compliment both eastern and western influences.
Mr Hussein added: “The building is two completely different architectural styles – one side is inspired by modern Mancunian architecture, with glass and zinc, and the Mecca-facing side uses traditional materials like stone. We’ve tried to make it as light as possible as not to rely on artificial light.”
However, mosque leaders are open about the fact al-Markaz al-Najmi cannot fully be classed as an ‘eco-mosque’. It will not run solely on renewable energy and, due to the cost, designers have used Indian pink stone, reclaimed from a quarry in Jaipur.
Mr Hussein said: “The stone was much cheaper than if we had bought locally, unfortunately not everything is easy to source in an environmentally friendly way.”
Leading the way in the advancement of green mosques, Fallowfield social enterprise, Regenesis Squared, is currently working on Manchester’s fully efficient EcoMosque.
Costing around £10million, the construction will take form at Salford University, where the mosque will be run using ambient radiant energy, solar panels, a bio-garden for recycling and geo-thermal energy.
Regenesis Squared’s Zahid Hussein is currently putting together planning proposals. He said: “It’s still in the early stages, but the idea is bringing together faith, the environment and economic factors too.
“In the past great eco-friendly buildings have been created, but they can’t be run because it costs too much. We hope to bring together different eco-features which will mean the mosque doesn’t have to rely on any energy but that which it creates itself.”
Al-Markaz al-Najmi was officially opened with a special religious ceremony by Indian leader Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin on Sunday, July 6.
Laura Thistlethwaite
3/ 7/2008
Article Link:
http://www.southman chesterreporter. co.uk/news/ s/1056667_ muslims_put_ faith_in_ 35m_ecomosque