Architecture
Planning permission to construct a new purpose built Masjid was granted to the Evington Muslim Education Trust in November 1997 to build on the 1-3 Evington Drive site The location of the Masjid is in a prominent position at the intersection of two arterial roads into the city centre (Evington Rd and Evington Lane) The front facade of the building is visible along the length of Evington Road and is regarded as a landmark building.
The proposed design takes up most of the old site with a small car park to the rear of the masjid. As part of the Masjid construction the front plaza was also developed and paved to enhance the overall appearance. The frontage is landscaped with trees and seating areas. Prior to the development work the frontage was blotted with public toilets and a recycling bank as can be seen from some of the pictures contained below during the construction phase. The Masjid consists of a first floor as the main prayer hall and the ground floor used for ablution facilities and classrooms for Islamic education (Madressa)
The building is constructed from locally produced reconstituted stone in contrasting bands. The front sides of the Masjid are clad in polished granite. Intricate mouldings are also incorporated within the construction. The domes and minarets are formed from a timber deck with a nickel-copper metal deck giving the domes a matt gold appearance. A firm of local architects, Kent Porter Warren undertook the design and a sample of line drawings can be found by clicking on the thumbnail images below. The Masjid was also short listed for the ACE award in 2005. The ACE Awards are designed to celebrate the successes and diversity of architectural and artistic projects in religious buildings throughout Britain. More information can be found at Acetrust
In addition the Masjid was voted as 'Best New Building 2005' by readers of the local Newspaper the Leicester Mercury.
The thumbnails below can be enlarged by clicking on them
