The construction of the mosque, at the Tambawala compound in Mazgaon, is expected to be completed in two years.
Architect Esmail Neemuchwala said the primary focus would on rainwater harvesting and using less electricity. We want to give the best to the environment from which we take the most, he said. The eco-friendly mosque is the brainchild of the communitys spiritual leader Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin TUS.
In a 120-sq ft room, one fan is sufficient because there are usually three people at a given time. But the number goes up to 30 during prayers. And this calls for more fans, Neemuchwala said. We have planned to bring down the number of fans and reduce electricity usage by 20%.
Fatimi architecture will be prominent. It has typical floral repetitive designs and conical shaped arches. It is inspired by Mughal, Indian, and British architecture, he said.
Green lawns will border the mosque. This would help in bringing down the air temperature as it moves towards the mosque, Neemuchwala said.
The mosque, built on an area of 30,000 sqft, will have two layers of walls. The outer wall will have reflective colours and the inner wall a gypsum plaster coating. This would help keep the room temperature cool, he said. The gap between the two walls will direct the hot air to the terrace. Inside the mosque, there will be fans on every floor to suck out the hot air. This air will be taken out through a separate channel and released in the open. This will help keep the temperature in control, Neemuchwala said.
The mosque will not have solar panels. Those are primarily used for heating water. And it is expensive to use solar panels for lighting, he said.
The mosque will use rainwater as much as possible. A new bore-well will be dug to increase the groundwater level. This area gets nearly 90mm rainfall. We are studying how much of it can be harvested, he said.