In the western Johannesburg suburb of Brixton stands a Dutch Reformed church – in architecture only, as the building is now under custodianship of the Islamic community and functioning as a mosque. This dynamic and expansive community wanted to bring a more Islamic identity to the building while acknowledging its Christian inceptions.

An envelope was imagined for the building – the geometries of the existing building underlay traditional Islamic geometries. The two architectures praying together, creating an experience that goes beyond religion, an experience that holds the broadest imaginings of community.

The materiality of the arches allow for light to filter through onto the street, contributing to the lived experience of those using the surrounds. The minaret is suggested through a light well that comes on at prayer time. The envelope brings the internal uses of the building to the external happenings of the street – reimaging how systems of religion contribute and hold space for new expressions of community.