Mosque Sector
Who: Gillani Noor Trust Mosque
Gillani Noor Trust (Normanton Stoke Mosque)
What: Interior Mosque fit out.
Where: Stoke, England.
Between 2019 and 2020 we worked on our third internal fit out for a new mosque development. Following a successful project with an Accrington based mosque in 2017, and an ongoing project with Smethwick Mosque, we were delighted to be awarded the contract for the Gillani Noor Trust Mosque. Our work consisted of the fit out of the ablution wash areas, including an inlay design to the splashback in Hanex ‘Pinetree’ with matching footrests. The ablution area was complete with thermoformed conical stools in Hanex ‘Elegance’ matching the ablution splashbacks and troughs. We used Hanex ‘Pinetree’ for the arched and rectangular window reveals, maintaining a consistent colour theme throughout.
Using Corian Glacier White and Cocoa Brown, we completed work on both the main Mihrab to prayer niche, and the ground floor Mihrab to payer niche. Both Mihrabs showcased intricate, decorative fret cut solid surface, with subtle mood lighting situated behind to reveal a gold back drop. The main Mihrab also included reverse cut fret work combined with back lighting to gently illuminate the lower level.
Why Solid Surface:
The versatility of a solid surface meant that we could be creative with this mosque’s internal fit-out. We worked alongside architect and designer, Al-Samarraie of Archi-Structure, who designed the unique, intricate patterns for the ablution splashbacks. We inlaid the patterns during the fabrication process and then sanded them until they were smooth and seamless, something that could not be achieved with materials such as stone, tiles or laminate. The ablution areas used for the washing ritual, needed to be watertight to avoid any leakage so we coved the internal corners of the trough so that there were no joints for potential leakage resulting in dampness build-up over time. The coved corners within the trough also meant that any water drained away quickly and efficiently again avoiding any threat of stagnant water. While in other mosque projects we have worked on, the ablution areas have been thermoformed to create a trough feature, the beauty of coving the sides and corners meant that this area could be as wide or as narrow as the designer wanted, rather than having to stick with a standard thermoformed size.
The design possibilities for solid surfaces within this industry have been endless and for mosques that we have worked on since the designs have only become more extravagant, as both our skill set and the properties of solid surface material expand.
