The final list of contenders for the 2027 Prayer Room Award
The Diriyah Biennale Foundation has officially announced the four architectural firms that have qualified for the final stage of the 2027 Musalla Award . This step underscores the leading role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in fostering Islamic arts and sustainable architecture. A select group of leading international and regional firms have qualified for this prestigious international competition, which aims to reinvent prayer and contemplation spaces with contemporary architectural styles that meet spiritual and aesthetic needs while remaining relevant to the times.
The offices that qualified for the final stage of the Al Musalla Award 2027
The shortlist of finalists comprises a select group of international creatives: Al Jawad Pike Architects from the UK, Civil Architecture representing the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Kuwait, Millions Architects from the USA, and New South Architects from France. These firms will compete to present a unified and innovative architectural vision for a prayer hall that is highly flexible and adaptable to two different locations in the Kingdom, showcasing a unique geographical and intellectual diversity in the design approach.
The roots of the initiative: From the depths of heritage to the horizons of modernity
The Diriyah Biennale Foundation was established in 2020 under the auspices of the Saudi Ministry of Culture to serve as a vital platform for exchanging creative ideas and fostering international cultural dialogue, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. Within this framework, the Foundation launched the “Musalla Award” for the first time in 2024, as part of the Islamic Arts Biennale. The award aims to bridge the gap between the rich heritage of Islamic architecture and the demands of the modern era by encouraging architects to submit designs that consider environmental sustainability and functional flexibility, while preserving the profound spiritual identity of spaces for worship and contemplation.
Engineering design challenges and target sites
The organizing committee explained that the biggest challenge in this edition lies in the requirement to design a single architectural project that is feasible and operational in two geographically and culturally distinct locations. The first location is in the western Hajj terminal at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, the historic gateway for pilgrims, while the second is in the Jax Creative District in the historic city of Diriyah, Riyadh. The competition rules stipulate that the prayer area must not exceed 20 x 20 meters, with a maximum height of 12 meters, and that the structural design must be easily dismantled and reassembled for relocation to its permanent site in Diriyah after the biennial concludes.
Cultural impact and international resonance of the Diriyah Biennale awards
Aya Al-Bakri, CEO of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, noted that the award has garnered significant international attention since its inception, reflecting the growing importance of Islamic arts on the global stage. The award's impact extends beyond the local level, reaching regionally and internationally, contributing to the development of a new architectural language that blends tradition and modernity. For his part, Prince Nawaf bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf, Chairman of the Jury and CEO of the Architecture and Design Commission, affirmed that the competition presents a unique intellectual and engineering challenge, balancing religious symbolism with practical function, thus enriching the Islamic architectural repertoire with innovative and sustainable solutions. The winning design is scheduled to be announced in March 2027, with the official opening of the prayer hall planned to coincide with the launch of the third edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale in November of the same year.
