Meet the San Francisco-based architects who ’designed’ the haj
Photo: Mawardi Bahar / Shutterstock.com
GENSLER, aka M. ARTHUR GENSLER JR AND ASSOCIATES, INC |
|
| Noteworthy | The architectural consultants to Mecca and the haj sites |
| CEO | Andy Cohen and Diane Hoskins |
| Headquarters |
San Francisco, California, USA |
| Annual revenues |
$1 billion+ |
| Number of employees |
5,000+ |
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Founded in 1965, San Francisco-based Gensler is the American design and architectural firm tasked with offering design and logistical solutions for visitors and residents of the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This includes the site of Al Masjid Al Haram, the sacred mosque containing the kaaba.
Saudi authorities turned to Gensler for assistance with issues relating to pilgrim movement during the haj and the expansion of the holy haj sites in 2010, after it was predicted that annual haj pilgrim numbers could rise to 5 million by 2020.
Since then, Gensler has offered a number of solutions for the holy site and remains active on other projects in the city.
One of its solutions involved the introduction of a flexible ring of platforms around the kaaba in the space where pilgrims traditionally perform the important rite ofthe tawaf.
The design allows for ringed walking pathways at various levels to be added or taken away dependent on the volume of worshippers. The solution has already been used and reportedly doubled the numbers able to perform tawaf at any given time.
As well as the tawaf rings, Gensler suggested the reclamation of a dried river bed to widen the plains of Arafat.
The company’s ideas have also made it into the historic Third Saudi Expansion of the Grand Mosque.
“The rings were but one part of a larger solution, including bridge links to the Third Saudi expansion and areas outside the specific confines of the Holy Mosque. This includes new access points from the south of the Holy Mosque and new access from the east,” Bill Hooper, the Principal at Gensler and lead for the Mecca project, explained to Salaam Gateway.
The latest Saudi expansion is the largest in history and will increase the mosque’s capacity to 1,850,000 worshippers, with the finished site covering an area of 1,470,000 square metres.
In 2014, Gensler’s architectural revenue exceeded the billion dollar mark for the first time, keeping it at the top of the list of the highest earning architectural firms in the world for the fourth time in a row.
The international company has 46 offices in 16 countries including Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai.
Gensler’s portfolio of success include landmarks such as the Dubai International Financial Centre, JFK Airport in New York and the Shanghai Tower in Shanghai.
ISLAMIC/HALAL/MUSLIM MARKETS STRATEGY
- Gensler promotes its willingness to adapt based on the demands of the client. This includes carefully considering the cultural and religious sensitivities of Muslim locations.
- To overcome issues such as access to Muslim-only sites, Gensler has recruited Muslim consultants with experience of the sites and pilgrimage experience.
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE ISLAMIC ECONOMY
Successes, specifically in Makkah
The proposal and application of ringed platforms flexible enough to implement several layers and reduce the volume of worshippers performing tawaf.
The reclamation of a dry riverbed on the Plain of Arafat to expand the walking space whilst retaining all the necessary haj rites.
Gensler’s involvement in the Third Saudi Expansion of Al Masjid Al Haram
Gensler’s continued involvement in Mecca: “Our formal contract for this work has ended, but we remain active in Makkah on other projects that form part of the city fabric and the experience for visitors and permanent residents,” Hooper says.
Gensler has offices across the Middle East and has successfully completed, or is in the process of completing, a number of high profile projects in Muslim countries.
- Abu Dhabi Financial Centre, UAE
- Riyadh World Trade Centre, Saudi Arabia
- Dubai International Finance Centre, UAE
- The Avenues shopping mall, Kuwait
- Istanbul Financial Centre, Turkey
- Iskandar Financial District, Malaysia
CHALLENGES FACED
- Lack of Muslim employees with direct access to haj sites
- The challenges that lie ahead with the continued growth of the haj population.
- Some of the specific challenges Gensler faced on the haj project were:
-- The rigid nature of the rituals
-- The density of the haj population
-- The specific timings that these rituals had to be carried out by the entire haj population
-- The fact that Gensler employees were primarily non-Muslim and therefore had never been to Mecca and were not allowed access to the city
-- The limitations of software, unable to simulate the highly unusual space confinement experienced by pilgrims at the haj
KEY TAKEAWAYS |
| Gensler’s strategy is to listen to client requests, and keep clients central to their planning, without compromising its own integrity as an architectural and design firm. |
| Gensler’s efforts with the tawaf rings, reclamation of the Arafat riverbed and proposals for the Third Saudi expansion prove that a non-Muslim company with little or no access to the Holy site can still have a successful impact on ideas and thoughts for the redesign of Makkah whilst respecting the need to keep the rituals exactly as they are. |
© Copyright SalaamGateway.com 2015
Tharik Hussain