Organisation of Islamic Congress

The Objective

The Organization of the Islamic Conference is at a watershed concerning its role on the international arena. As Professor Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu writes: “There is a common understanding that now the OIC stands at another decisive moment and that the time has come for it to play a proactive and visible role in the international arena, commensurate with the expectations and challenges.”

One great milestone towards this new visibility for the O.I.C. is to build a bold physical statement reflecting its mission. The new Headquarters in Jeddah should state its mission loud and clear: The Gathering together of the Islamic states under a common roof.

The Headquarters of O.I.C

The new headquarters building will have unique iconic quality reflecting the strength and vitality of the Islamic states. The architecture is not based on the existing western typologies of large-scale buildings. The new building will be a contemporary representation of the modernity and technological advancement of the Islamic societies. Its architecture is inspired by the present and the past of Islam, and is a result of the unique programmatic and symbolical qualities inherent in the project.

The act of the representatives of the different nations meeting on an equal plane is emphasized by gathering all the conference spaces onto one large floor and covering them with one single tensile superstructure. The conference level becomes a paradise-like retreat for high-level political thinking, collaboration and leadership.

The base for this tensile roof consists of the Office Departments, the supporting elements of the conferences themselves. This entire structure is lifted off ground to reflect the multi-nationality of the project – the horizons of this building reach far beyond Jeddah and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The building is laden by references to Islamic Cultural Heritage. On one level there are reflections on the great traditions of mathematics and geometry in the Islamic world, on the other, references to the built history of the Islamic world. These references include indigenous tents, traditional houses and Mosques of the Islamic World.