The proposal for the Marsa Dubai Mosque is a composition of familiarity and surprise in an ecclesiastical space. The mosque is arranged laterally along the Dubai waterfront with a protective berm separating the outdoor promenade and processional from the adjacent properties. The mosque is constructed of concrete and block in the rich, warm earth tones of the desert. The composition is marked by a series of symmetrical cubic solids topped with the traditional domed structures to denote the connection to the vernacular mosque design. The minaret or tower is in the same family of shapes and rises as a simple, rectangular solid at the rear of the site.

Yet simplicity and familiarity turn to surprise when night falls and the calls for evening prayer resound. The seemingly solid forms of the domes and supporting structures dissolve into vivid tapestries of light, beacons for the faithful. The site in alive with subtle yet inviting lighted paths and ascending stairways, capped with the ever-present images of the transparent scroll work of the walls and domes: a theater of light in a sacred space.