Enhancing the community with Europe’s first ever eco-mosque

Designed with minimal carbon footprint, our client sought to deliver a new sanctuary for worship, reflection, and education for its growing congregation. The mosque needed to respect its environment and local community yet stand out visually through a considered design approach with a focus on sustainability.  

The brief was to create a high-quality, visually stunning place of worship with sustainability at its core. The existing Mosque on Mawson Road had become too small for the growing congregation, and so the former warehouse on Mill Road was acquired. Bidwells launched an international design competition to select the project architect, and a value engineering process to ensure the design and build costs of the scheme aligned with the client’s budget, whilst also providing detailed funding and procurement advice.

Bidwells Planning Team advised on CMT’s vision by co-ordinating the award winning (RTPI East of England 2019) all-inclusive public consultation process by hosting exhibitions and workshops at local, national, and international level.

There were many challenges throughout the project that were alleviated by the Bidwells Team, including the decontamination of the site; traffic and parking objections and resolving cash flow and funding issues; and delivering the project to allow Ramadan to take place.

The stunning project achieved the client’s goal of creating a calm oasis for its worshippers and the mosque is built to ensure it serves the community for years to come, with a minimal carbon footprint. The building has received numerous awards, including the RIBA’s Stirling Prize Finalist 2021, RIBA Stirling Prize Winner of the people’s vote for best building 2021, RIBA Client of the Year 2021 and RTPI National Planning Award Finalist 2020.