Wikipedia

Abrahamic Family House

Location: Abu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates
Design firm: Adjaye Associates
Typology: Religious
Years: 2019–2023
Status: Complete

Facade facts

Facade summary: The complex presents three distinct facade styles mapped onto identical 30-meter cubes,utilizing off-white precast concrete,Accoya timber, and bronze screens to control light and symbolize theological themes.
Documented intention: According to Adjaye Associates, the shared 30x30x30m cubic scale and common materiality represent equality and shared human experience, while the unique facade skins celebrate the distinct liturgical practices and historical symbolism of Islam,Christianity,and Judaism.
Street relationship: Raised on a single-story,stone-clad podium (the secular plinth),the three cubes stand as sculptural, isolated forms visible across the district while maintaining a contemplative distance from immediate street-level noise.
Climate relationship: The primary off-white precast concrete elements provide substantial thermal mass to mitigate heat. The deep,heavy, multi-layered exterior screens function as highly effective self-shading mechanisms, reducing solar heat gain on the recessed glazing surfaces.
Window pattern: Recessed behind deep external screens; windows are organized in continuous vertical or horizontal bands depending on the specific building.
Glazing: Double-glazed,low-E,high-performance solar control glass.
Depth: Very deep, with screens and structural columns projecting up to 1.5 meters from the internal glazed thermal envelope.
Rhythm: Highly repetitive,geometric, and symmetrical on all four orientations of each individual building.
Precast Concrete: Precast Concrete — Primary structure and exterior panels of all three cubes and the plinth. — Smooth,acid-etched,or textured cast stone finish.
Accoya Timber: Accoya Timber — Vertical louvers and columns of the Church facade. — Natural wood finish,highly stabilized.
Bronze: Bronze — Screens and window mullions, particularly prominent on the Synagogue facade and interior of the Mosque's mashrabiyas. — Patinated or metallic satin finish.
Limestone: Limestone — Cladding on the shared podium /plinth. — Honed
Precast Concrete Arch Shell: The Mosque facade utilizes large-scale structural precast concrete arches that perform as load-bearing external columns.
Vertical Timber Louver System: The Church envelope consists of a double skin where the exterior layer is composed of highly durable Accoya timber louvers suspended on steel brackets.
Layered Structural Trellis: The Synagogue uses a triple-layered structural concrete and bronze screen system forming diagonal V-braced columns.

Description

The complex uses geometry, color, and texture to achieve unity and diversity. The Imam Al-Tayeb Mosque facade features elongated arches on each of its four sides, which serve as structural screens, detailed internally with delicate mashrabiya latticework. The His Holiness Pope Francis Church facade is composed of towering, closely spaced vertical Accoya timber louvers that emphasize soaring verticality and light ascension. The Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue facade is defined by three overlapping layers of intersecting V-shaped bronze and concrete columns that reference the protective palm fronds of the Sukkah, forming a multi-layered diamond trellis.

Visual analysis

The off-white tones of the concrete interact dynamically with the intense Abu Dhabi sun, creating deep, dramatic shadows within the facade cavities. The facades shift visually from opaque monolithic blocks to delicate screens depending on the viewing angle.