A project by RSP Architects:

The design of Al-Rajhi Mosque is inspired by the iconic symbol of the Crescent, which is the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge. This is derived from the astronomical definition, which refers to the shape of the lit side of the moon that appears to be less than half illuminated by the Sun.

The design of Al-Rajhi Mosque was based on this iconic symbol, where a crescent is formed in plan, from the overlapping of two ellipses of different diameters, the smaller inner ellipse becomes the main prayer hall while the outer ellipse becomes the skin of the building.

The Crescent is also visible in elevation, where the design team has developed the skin as a composition of two different domes an outer shell dome that shields the building from the surroundings and transforms the mosque into a spiritual sanctuary, and a smaller inner dome, made up of a Mashrabiya pattern that allows the sun light to be filtered into the prayer hall and endows the space with an ethereal light quality.

AL RAJHI MOSQUE RIYADH from RSP Architects on Vimeo.