Ismaili Center Houston

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The Ismaili Center Houston will be the newest of seven such centres worldwide. It was the first to be built in the USA and the third Ismaili Centre in North America, after the Ismaili Centres in Vancouver and Toronto.  

Establishment[]

Aga Khan Foundation USA has owned the 11-acre site since 2006.[1] The establishment of an Ismaili Center was announced by His Highness the Aga Khan during his Golden Jubilee visit to the USA in 2008.

As of November 2021, excavation on the site was already underway, and a formal ground-breaking likely in early 2022 and construction finished by the of 2024.[2]

A design preview was held on November 15, 2021,[3] where architect Farshid Moussavi discussed the project with KTRK-TV’s Melanie Lawson.[2]

Architecture and design[]

Designed by London-based Farshid Moussavi Architecture,[4] the Center will be a contemporary interpretation of traditional Persian ornamentation,[2] including ceramic mosaics, and screens drawn from various Islamic traditions.[5] The center’s façade will be a combination of different types of stone and steel encased in concrete. The building will feature a series of “eivans,” the Persian word for verandas, which will provide shaded venues for social gatherings at the center. The eivans will supported by 49 columns reminiscent of those used in Persepolis and 17th century palaces in Isfahan, Persia.[1]

The 10 acres around the center will be transformed into lush gardens by Thomas Woltz of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects.[2] The gardens will include tree canopies, fountains, shaded footpaths, flowerbeds, lawns and walkways.[6]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b www.bizjournals.com https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2021/11/16/ismaili-center-design.html?ana=TRUEANTHEMTWT_HO&csrc=6398&taid=61949a9b7ccf120001e30056&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-24. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ a b c Cowen, Diane (2021-11-15). "Renderings show America's first Ismaili Center will be an architectural jewel for Houston". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  3. ^ "Press Release - ISMAILI CENTER TO BE HOUSTON'S NEWEST CULTURAL ASSET" (PDF). The.Ismaili. 15 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Waite, Richard (2021-11-16). "Farshid Moussavi reveals designs for Houston Ismaili Centre contest". The Architects’ Journal. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  5. ^ "Plans announced for Houston to house America's first Ismaili Center". khou.com. November 16, 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  6. ^ Glentzer 0, Molly (2021-11-23). "Houston's Lush, Welcoming Ismaili Center Will Be a Spiritual Retreat for All". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
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