The Prince George Islamic Centre
An Investment for the future of our children

Background

The Prince George Chapter of the British Columbia Muslim Association was initiated in June 1999 with the objectives to:

• Bring the Muslims of Prince George and surrounding area together and help them in their Practice of Islam;
• Make Islam better understood by the Prince George and Northern BC communities;
• Promote understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims.

The Muslim population in Prince George is growing steadily due to the diversification of the local economy and an effective support network provided by the local Muslim community for the practice of Islam.

In the early years, congregational prayers were offered in classrooms and Islamic classes offered in people houses. At the end of the year 2000, a small room was rented in a local motel to offer Friday prayers. Since 2002, weekly Islamic classes were held regularly in classrooms provided by the Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society. Since November 2004, the community has been renting space from a local Church to offer Friday prayers.

In 2003, the community decided to explore the possibility of purchasing land from the City of Prince George and build an Islamic centre. The Muslim Community presented its needs to the city council in two council meetings. In March 2004, the Prince George City Council approved the sale of a piece of land to our community An agreement with the City Administration was reached in late 2004. In March 2005, the Prince George City Council unanimously approved the rezoning of 3.8 acres of City land for the construction of an Islamic Centre. The final sale agreement was signed on April 21, 2006. prayer-hall with a mezzanine provides space for congregational prayer. Two classrooms provide space for weekend religious and language education.

The Project

The Prince George Chapter is building the first Islamic Centre in Northern British Columbia. The Centre hopes to cater to our Muslim community including the growing Muslim student population at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George.

The Islamic Cultural and Educational Centre in Prince George will act as the focus for our community’s activities and will serve many functions which include but are not limited to:

• Providing a place for congregational prayer;
• Having a centre for education and learning for both Muslims & Non-Muslims;
• Creating a place for providing guidance, counseling and support;
• Establishing a place from which to promote and organize charitable events;
• Instilling pride in our youth and in our entire community;and
• Providing a place in which to host our community’s social & recreational events.

Construction and Funding

We will start the construction of the Islamic Centre soon; the estimated cost of the first phase is about 1.2 million dollars.

The first phase will contain the main prayer hall and a multi-purpose hall that will be used for holding conventions, youth and sport activities, multicultural and interfaith dialogue, and other social and educational gatherings. The first phase will also include two classrooms that will be used as a daycare. The second and third phases will include a gym and an Islamic public library.

We consider the first phase to be extremely important as it is critical to the creation of a solid, visible base, around which current and future Muslims can nurture and grow their faith in Northern B.C. This Centre will help Northern BC attract and retain immigrant Muslims from all over the world.

Our community has conducted several fund-raising activities, but it is recognized that, due to our size, we will need the financial assistance of Muslim and non Muslim organizations as well as provincial and national organizations.

The Site

The project site is on the north-east corner of 5th Avenue and Foothills Boulevard. The property is approximately 3.39 acres, sloping at a gentle gradient down to the east and north. Across Foothills Boulevard is a steep escarpment with a mature native landscape that is part of an greenbelt. Across 5th Avenue are single-family residences.

A series of single-family dwellings are along the northern property boundary and a multi-family townhouse development is adjacent to the east. An existing berm, with established planting is along the east property, provides a natural screen for the townhouses. A covenant stipulates a no-build setback of 10m along the east and north property lines to mitigate the impacts of this development on adjacent residences.

City utilities do not currently service this property.

Master Plan

The site master plan anticipates gradual growth of the facility over a period of time. The first phase of the project would occur along the southern portion of the site. The building would be located on the south-west corner and the parking would be adjacent, extending from the building to the 10m no-build setback to the east.

The intent is to maintain the centre of the site as an open landscapes area, with a combination of a formal garden and a small orchard. Future expansion of the building would occur in a linear fashion along the west property line. Parking growth would expand north adjacent to the existing berm. A new berm with planting is proposed parallel to the north of the property line, to create a landscape screen for the single-family residences and to establish a sense of enclosure for the central garden area.

Building Program

The first phase of the project establishes the minimum spaces required for community activities for the Muslim population of Prince George. The principal space is the multi-purpose hall for social and recreational activities. A small prayer-hall with a mezzanine provides space for congregational prayer. Two classrooms provide space for weekend religious and language education.

Building Design

The design proposes to unify the building with its geographic terrain. The building massing rises gently to the west against the backdrop of the forested escarpment. The large enclosed mass of the multipurpose hall is disaggregated by a break in the roof surface. The dynamic roof forms are created by the intersection of geometries between the orthogonal Prince George city grid and the axis to Mecca (N16.5˚E), to which Muslim prayer spaces align.

The entrance to the building is at the east end of a colonnade that separates the multi-purpose hall on the south side and the prayer hall to the north. The colonnade is exposed by the slope of the adjacent roof. The glazing would be articulated with Islamic geometric patterns bringing visual interest to the entrance.

The massing culminates in a minaret that rises above the building, topped by an open cupola. As well as being a symbolic element of Islamic architecture, the minaret will assist in stack ventilation for the building, contributing to the sustainable features of the building.

Construction Materials

In selecting structural and finish materials the main objective is sustainability. This will be achieved by using locally or regionally sourced materials or by using materials that have a long service life. The main structural system will be timber frame and glu-lam members. The palette of exterior materials will be masonry, metal cladding, glazing and fibre-cement board.

Sustainability

The intent in this project is to incorporate as many environmentally sustainable strategies as possible. In addition to natural ventilation and material selection noted above, daylight harvesting, on site storm water management and efficient fixtures and equipment will be investigated.