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Aga Khan Foundation: Islamic Community Center


torvald

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5 minutes ago, X.R. said:

If I was them, I'd be balancing my need for privacy of the faithful vs inviting the public. Its a fine line but I think they are balancing it well. Whether the sightlines make for easy viewing, I'm unsure, but I know it will be very, very busy. They will have a good presence in the area. Their population here is comparatively large, and other Muslims will 100% utilize this space as well.

This has fortress-elements, but I don't think in their case its a Houston-specific issue. If you check their Canada-based centers they have similar, more recessed layouts for what I can tell from google maps and the images. And if they do have a sizeable pedestrian presence, as I alluded to above, it further detracts from the fortress element. The layout makes sense, its a bit of a campus, and if I was going there for programming that spoke to my faith or heritage I don't want cars zooming down Allen pkwy to be in the background. Enough land was there to both add to the city at large and to Ismaili community, which is what I think they are trying to do. 

Yeah this is going to draw an incredible amount of people. I see this section along the bayou completely redeveloping from streets to new development very very fast.

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56 minutes ago, X.R. said:

If I was them, I'd be balancing my need for privacy of the faithful vs inviting the public. Its a fine line but I think they are balancing it well. Whether the sightlines make for easy viewing, I'm unsure, but I know it will be very, very busy. They will have a good presence in the area. Their population here is comparatively large, and other Muslims will 100% utilize this space as well.

This has fortress-elements, but I don't think in their case its a Houston-specific issue. If you check their Canada-based centers they have similar, more recessed layouts for what I can tell from google maps and the images. And if they do have a sizeable pedestrian presence, as I alluded to above, it further detracts from the fortress element. The layout makes sense, its a bit of a campus, and if I was going there for programming that spoke to my faith or heritage I don't want cars zooming down Allen pkwy to be in the background. Enough land was there to both add to the city at large and to Ismaili community, which is what I think they are trying to do. 

I suspect some take issue with this because of the current zeitgeist which is that "inclusivity" must be made a priority over "exclusivity". In this current age exclusivity is seen to be inherently wrong, or since we are talking about a religious building which will house participants of a religious faith, exclusivity is seen by some to be inherently sinful. With that being said you are correct, the very nature of any group with a strong established beliefs means that they will create a building that will be focused on being an exclusive experience for its faithful. This isn't an all-faith's chapel, right? Certainly it will be a building that will have semi-public and public spaces, but at the end of the day its for the Ismali first, and everyone else second, and that is perfectly okay. You can't have anything that pleases or is home to everyone, nor do we as architects design spaces in that way. Even the fortress like nature of its massing is very in-line with typical Islamic massing of its worship spaces, mosques, etc... considering its history, and how its faith practices.

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Honestly, looking at it more closely. It seems like the entirety of the gardens is surrounded by hedges and a large wall, with only small gates for entry, which who knows may be locked. I don't know (I'm asking), but it seems the entrance faces into the neighborhood, away from the perspective of almost all the renderings. So to get to the garden you'd have to go through this impressive but not exactly conductive building. I'm not exactly sure if the gardens are meant to be accessible in the same way Hermann Park is. 

Are people going to have unfettered access to the gardens daily? 

Edited by EllenOlenska
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9 hours ago, EllenOlenska said:

Honestly, looking at it more closely. It seems like the entirety of the gardens is surrounded by hedges and a large wall, with only small gates for entry, which who knows may be locked. I don't know (I'm asking), but it seems the entrance faces into the neighborhood, away from the perspective of almost all the renderings. So to get to the garden you'd have to go through this impressive but not exactly conductive building. I'm not exactly sure if the gardens are meant to be accessible in the same way Hermann Park is. 

Are people going to have unfettered access to the gardens daily? 

I would assume access will be similar to the BAPS Mandir or any other architecturally significant religious structure that has public interest. You check in, they give you a run-down of the grounds, ask you to be culturally/religiously appropriate, and send you on your way. The same is to be expected for any other church or religious property.

I've visited mosques before where they provide head coverings for women and robes for men (if you're wearing shorts). I haven't looking into whether other Aga Khan community centers have similar dress codes, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do.

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I think that the design is in keeping with the tradition of enclosed gardens in Persia and India and is appropriate for  its intended use. . It's not a place of commerce, or finance or mass entertainment , but rather a place more contemplative and a refuge from all of that;  a sacred space amid the profane. It's certainly more connected to the physical environment and a more meditative environment  than  some of the other  houses of worship in Houston that have a regional or national reputation, e.g.  Lakewood Church, Second Baptist or the Cathedral downtown.  It doesn't shout " Look at Me" or attempt to dominate or intimidate .   Given that we experience most of the built environment in Houston as a drive by, I assume that there will be many who pass by this center on Allen Parkway on a daily basis and will have no clue as to the garden and architectural spaces. But not all.  There are many who avail themselves of the trails along  Buffalo Bayou and I think it will pique their curiosity.  In the way that it doesn't give it all away at the street level , it's quite seductive. If the center develops a program of lectures and concerts and other public events it will be experienced by many Houstonians of all faiths, including non-believers.  Security  has to be a major concern to a large Islamic center of worship in the US , and especially in Texas with its open carry laws. It would be unwise to have people with  guns walking in off the street into this center without having to pass through a security checkpoint.  

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On 8/20/2022 at 11:38 AM, EllenOlenska said:

Honestly, looking at it more closely. It seems like the entirety of the gardens is surrounded by hedges and a large wall, with only small gates for entry, which who knows may be locked. I don't know (I'm asking), but it seems the entrance faces into the neighborhood, away from the perspective of almost all the renderings. So to get to the garden you'd have to go through this impressive but not exactly conductive building. I'm not exactly sure if the gardens are meant to be accessible in the same way Hermann Park is. 

Are people going to have unfettered access to the gardens daily? 

I don't have an answer to this for the Houston project, but the Toronto touchstone (IE the Aga Khan Park wherein the Ismaili Centre Toronto and Aga Khan Museum reside) is fully accessible all the time.  Quite literally, all the time.

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On 8/21/2022 at 8:48 PM, classic said:

I don't have an answer to this for the Houston project, but the Toronto touchstone (IE the Aga Khan Park wherein theIsmaili Centre Toronto and Aga Khan Museum reside) is fully accessible all the time.  Quite literally, all the time.

Quite a different attitude towards guns, immigrants, social obligations and inequality in Toronto than in Texas.  We live in a fortress society to some extent to protect us from the chaos that we sometimes mistake for liberty. 

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5 minutes ago, Skyboxdweller said:

Quite a different attitude towards guns, immigrants, social obligations and inequality in Toronto than in Texas.  We live in a fortress society to some extent to protect us from the chaos that we sometimes mistake for liberty. 

Well, let's hope the Aga Khan people try to set a better example in Houston.

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Wow, now that is one beefy set of girders...

EDIT: I was just fantasizing about the coordination meeting when architecture presented this to structure. Arch: We want this large column free space, and want this nice and open, oh and there is also a space above this. Structure: Well if you want to do that then more than likely we will need to manufacture a custom steel girder with a depth of 6'... Arch: Yeah we want one of those. Is that a problem? Structure: Not a problem, its just expensive. Arch: I've been told money is not an issue. Structure: Okay, if you say so...

Edited by Luminare
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2 hours ago, Naviguessor said:

Let's hope the Aga Khan foundation is equally as accepting as we like to consider our city to be... 

I don't think you need to wait for the Ismaili Center to be built to get an answer to your question about the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF).  AKF is part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which is the largest private international development network in the world.  That in and of itself maybe doesn't provide the window you're looking for, but I'd suggest a look at their list of partners does.  Below is a list of AKDN partners as listed on the.akdn (that's actually their website - they have their own gTLD):

African Development Bank
Agence Française de Développement
Asian Development Bank
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
AXIS Bank Foundation
Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives

Bainum Family Foundation USA
Benazir Income Support Programme, Government of Pakistan
Bernard van Leer Foundation
Better Cotton Growth
Bezos Family Foundation
Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation
Bihar Education Project Council, India
Bihar Mahadalit Vikas Mission, India
Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society, India
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation USA
Blue Ventures
BNP Paribas
British Council

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Canada Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Cargill
Catholic University of Portugal
Children’s Investment Fund Foundation UK (CIFF)
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Christensen Fund
Comic Relief
British International Invest (formerly Commonwealth Development Corporation)
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation USA
Cotton Connect

Danish International Development Agency
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany
Development Support Agency of Gujarat, India
Drosos Foundation
Dubai Cares
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

Education Cannot Wait
Electricité de France
ELMA Foundation USA
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
European Commission
European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)
European Investment Bank

Flora Family Foundation
Ford Foundation
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs

German Federal Foreign Office (FFO)
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Global Affairs Canada
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Government of Afghanistan
Government of Australia
Government of Burkina Faso
Government of Canada
Government of the Czech Republic
Government of Côte d’Ivoire
Government of Denmark
Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Government of Egypt
Government of Finland
Government of France
Government of Germany
Government of Greece
Government of India
Government of Indonesia
Government of Japan
Government of Kazakhstan
Government of the Kyrgyz Republic
Government of Kenya
Government of Mali
Government of Mozambique
Government of the Netherlands
Government of New Zealand
Government of Norway
Government of Pakistan
Government of Portugal
Government of Spain
Government of Sweden
Government of Switzerland
Government of Tajikistan
Government of Tanzania
Government of the United Kingdom
Government of Uganda
Government of Zanzibar
Grand Challenges Canada

Harvard University
Hazira LNG ltd
Hazira Port Private Limited
HDFC Bank Ltd
Heifer Project International
HELVETAS
Hewlett Foundation
Hilfswerk International

IKEA Foundation
Innocent Foundation UK
Integrity Action
InterGlobe Foundation
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
International Labour Organisation (ILO)

Jacobs Foundation
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF)
Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
John Deere
Johnson & Johnson Foundation

Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW)

L&T Technology Services Ltd
La Caixa Foundation
Larsen & Toubro Public Charitable Trust
LAUDES Foundation
Lego Foundation
Lisbon City Council
Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs

The John D. and Catherine T. Macarthur Foundation

Magdy Yacoub Heart Foundation
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
Margaret A. Cargill Foundation
MasterCard Foundation
Microsoft
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), India
National Bank of Pakistan
National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF), Pakistan
National Ministry of Jal Shakti, India
Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO)
Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Norwegian Agency for International Development (NORAD)
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Oak Foundation
Omidyar Network

Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund
Patriarchate of Lisbon
PATRIP Foundation
Paul Reinhart AG
People in Need
Population Council
Porticus Foundation
Porto Catholic University
Portuguese Catholic University
Portuguese Cooperation Institute
PricewaterhouseCoopers Services Limited
Prince’s Trust International
Société de Promotion et de Participation pour la Coopération Economique (PROPARCO)

Qatar National Library
Quest Alliance

Rabo Bank
Rahimtulla Trust
Reckitt Benckiser
Rizwan Adatia Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
Rotary International
Royal Canadian Geographic Society
Roza Otumbaeva Initiative

SBI Foundation
Scotiabank
Simon Fraser University
Société Générale
Standard Chartered Bank
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Government of Switzerland (SECO)
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

The Tata Trusts
ThinkCity, Malaysia
Triggerise

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
United Nations Education, Scientific & Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO)
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA)
United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
United Nations Women
Unilever Foundation
United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of State
University of Alberta
University of British Columbia
University of Calgary
University of California
University of Columbia, New York
University of Ottawa
University of Toronto
University of Victoria
University of Vienna
University of Waterloo
University of Western Ontario

Vitol Foundation

Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
World Bank
World Conservation Society
World Food Programme (WFP)
World Health Organisation (WHO)
World Monuments Fund
World University Service of Canada

Apologies for such a long list, but it is telling, and I also think many will have similar questions to Naviguessor.  Explore the website for more.

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  • The title was changed to Montrose Blvd. At W. Dallas St.
  • The title was changed to Aga Khan Foundation: Islamic Community Center

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