Karwa Mosque

The brief was to replace the old timber and concrete structure that had been added haphazardly over the years. The original structure and its extensions had to be removed completely to make way for a new building. That being said, the reconstruction was not only to modernise the facility, but also to reconnect with community and evoke a sense of familiarity by bridging the gap between the urban and rural areas. For this, the architect has employed vernacular architecture techniques, forms and aesthetics.

Constructed in 1897, the Karwa Mosque is a central facility for the local Muslim community living in Tanjong Tokong, an old seaside village on the island of Penang. In the 1970s, urbanisation and densification took over the quiet area and introduced land reclamation that saw the building of malls and high-rise condominiums. The mosque now sits in an area surrounded by tall buildings, at a tight corner of a busy road intersection that marks a gateway to the existing Malay village.