Though the pictures here are from the rough plans, it appears that the center would provide an excellent architectural addition to the NY cityscape. Hopefully the anti-islamic bigotry* surrounding the project will abate once the construction begins and the interfaith aspects of the center become recognized by the general public.
First Look Inside the Proposed Islamic Center
by Anne Barnard
Visitors to the upper floors of the Muslim community center planned for near ground zero would walk through lofty spaces -- for art exhibitions, for contemplation and prayer, for programs on interreligious dialogue, for a 9/11 memorial -- as sunlight streams through irregularly shaped windows between white crisscrossing beams.
That is the image presented in the tentative architectural renderings that the planners of the center, called Park51, have been showing at community meetings in recent weeks, and which were revealed to the wider public for the first time last week.
A sketch of the façade shows a latticework of white starlike designs, echoing patterns that can be seen in Islamic architecture and decorative tiles across the Middle East.
The design was meant to show "hints of tradition," while the use of modern materials and glass panels would give an impression of translucence and "moving toward the future," Sharif el-Gamal, the project's developer, said in an interview last week.
Planners have not begun to raise the $140 million needed for construction or hired an architect.
* Geller uncovers imaginary "Tumbling Star of Davids" in Park51 design
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