An Awe-Inspiring Place

Sydney’s Punchbowl Mosque showcases the architectural flexibility of concrete

by Deborah R. Huso

I
n 2018, the Australian Islamic
Mission (AIM) celebrated the
completion of its stark yet elegant
mosque in the Punchbowl suburb of
Sydney, Australia. Named after a nearby
circular valley that nineteenth-century
settlers called “the punch bowl,” the
suburb is located in Sydney’s southwest
and is known for its cultural diversity.
The Punchbowl Mosque’s design, the
brainchild of Greek-Australian architect
Angelo Candalepas of Candalepas
Associates in Sydney, features what
some might call (but Candalepas
downplays) a “brutalist” structure with a
simplicity of exterior architecture that
belies its inspirational interior. Almost Fig. 1: Punchbowl Mosque, Sydney, Australia, with main entry doors facing the street and a
the entirety of the structure is rendered single minaret adjacent to the entry (left) (photo by Brett Boardman, courtesy of Candalepas
in concrete. With no elaborate Associates)
ornamentation other than gold
calligraphy painted on minidomes in the The architect selected concrete as the concrete ring beam with a stepped soffit
main prayer hall, the combination of primary construction material largely evoking a corbelled dome structure, the
formed concrete with wood and stone because AIM’s construction brief called ceiling comprises seven rows of
detailing creates a space that is arresting for a structure that would last 300 years. quarter-sphere muqarnas (ornamented
in its delicate restraint. “Concrete is often mistaken for a vaulting formed as quarter-sphere
material that is only solid and firm,” minidomes) on the northwestern and
Concrete as Sculptural says Angelo Candalepas, “but its ability southwestern sides of the space (Fig. 2).
Material to be cast in many types of forms gives According to Candalepas, the drawings
Architecturally as well as spiritually, it a potential that is not often realized.” called for a Class 2C finish for all
the design speaks to the efforts of AIM It is that potential that Candalepas visible concrete in accordance with
and Candalepas to improve interfaith sought to manipulate when selecting Australian Standard AS 3610. Project
relations in New South Wales. The main concrete as the construction material. construction began in October 2015
entry doors intentionally open to the The final set of construction with the mosque’s basement car park.
street (Fig. 1), creating a sense of drawings were sent to the builder in the
welcoming and transparency to passersby fall of 2014. That package included 1:20 The Muqarnas
of all faiths. Adjacent to the entry, a scale detail sections showing the The sculptural ceiling of the prayer
single minaret is subtly incorporated mosque’s key elements, including space features 102 muqarnas spread
into a wing of the building that frames details of the concrete ceiling of the across two faces of the ceiling like a
the mosque’s courtyard (Fig. 1). mosque’s prayer space. In addition to a honeycomb (Fig. 2). Because the

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | MARCH 2020 37

 (a) (b)

Fig. 3: A mockup was used to verify methods and materials for construction of the muqarnas:
(a) formwork with molded and coated fiberglass domes; and (b) finished surface after
stripping the molds (photos by Adrian Curtin, courtesy of Boral Australia)

Constructions Group made several test ceiling to have many small skylights,”
placements, including the construction Candalepas notes. “In ancient Turkish
of a mockup of the walls and lower mosques, the night sky was replicated
muqarnas at the west corner of the within the domes. I found that the
Fig. 2: A view from the floor of the main
building (Fig. 3). In addition to using juxtaposition between the eternal values
prayer hall, showing the stepped soffit of the
the same formwork system and of the form-giving sphere [the dome]
concrete ring beam and rows of quarter-
sphere muqarnas. Since this photo was
reinforcing layout as required for the above the space was able to be enhanced
taken, Turkish and Iranian calligraphers have actual structure, the mockup was with the mosque ceiling describing the
inscribed the smooth and seamless concrete constructed using the concrete mixture night sky below it.” He also noted that
surfaces of the minidomes with the 99 names and curing techniques that were to be the concave surfaces “showcase the
of Allah in gold calligraphy (photo by Brett used in the final construction. subtle gradation of light at different
Boardman, courtesy of Candalepas Associates) Each minidome is a quarter sphere, intensities and concurrently.”
1500 mm (59 in.) wide and 750 mm The formwork for the mosque ceiling
(29.5 in.) high, with a 30 mm (1-1/8 in.) was constructed and scaffolded to
concrete was to serve as the painting diameter hole created at the center using progressively step up and out by 810 mm
surface for calligraphers, Candalepas did a tube and a form tie. To allow light yet (32 in.) vertically and horizontally with
not want to use any chemical release prevent water from penetrating the each row of muqarnas. According to
agents. He also provided no option for ceiling, the tubes were subsequently Candalepas, “Stripping the lowest levels
patching damaged surfaces. plugged with clear polymethyl of formwork after the first concrete
Thus, casting the muqarnas was the methacrylate caps where they pierce the pours would, therefore, not be possible
most challenging aspect of the roof sheathing. The curved surfaces until all the remaining concrete pours
construction. “There was a high level of were formed using molded fiberglass for the mosque’s ceiling and ring beam
concern [about] the finish that could be domes with a smooth polymer coating. had been completed.” The builder
achieved for the exposed concrete The dome forms were separated by created flat shelves of formwork to set
surfaces, especially the muqarnas,” says 120 mm (5 in.) to create vertical, out the stepping profile of the raked
Paul Moore, Structural and Section semicircular flat planes between the ceiling to two sides of the mosque and
Manager and Principal at Wood & Grieve curved surfaces; the flat surfaces then cut rectangular slots into these
Engineers, the firm that prepared detailed between the minidomes were cast shelves at intervals that matched the
project designs and documentation and against galvanized-steel sheets backed set-out of the muqarnas.
supervised structural work during the by plywood (shown in Fig. 4). “Fiberglass molds placed on the
mosque’s construction. To address this, During construction, each fiberglass inside face of each formwork slot
Wood & Grieve documented reinforcing dome was penetrated at its center point created the quarter-spherical domes [of
bars for these elements in three by a single large form tie that extended the muqarnas],” Candalepas adds,
dimensions in Autodesk Revit, producing to the sloped formwork for the roof of noting that the concrete placements for
perspective views as well as the typical the building. The concrete thickness at the main prayer space took up to a full
plan, sections, and elevations. this point was 350 mm (13-3/4 in.). “I day to pump, given the complex
To ensure the finish could be achieved, had imagined we would be able to have geometry for the interior formwork.
Sydney-based builder Infinity large ties since I had desired the entire Candalepas says the builder cleaned and

38 MARCH 2020 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

polished formwork each day before the next day’s concrete volume of the concrete pours proposed for the main prayer
placement. space.” Envisia concrete consumes much of the mixing water
while it is setting, resulting in reduced volume loss from water
Concrete for Sculptural Finish evaporation. This results in 50% lower shrinkage than
During the production of the tender documents, Candalepas conventional concrete mixtures, yet the proprietary mixture
collaborated closely on concrete specifications with Sydney- can also achieve the same setting times and strength gain as
based structural engineering firm Taylor Thomson & Whitting more conventional mixtures.
and concrete manufacturer Boral Australia. The team selected
a white concrete mixture based on Boral’s patented Envisia® The Main Prayer Hall
system. Envisia mixtures contain a high supplementary The walls within the mosque’s main prayer hall are
cementitious material content and thus have a lower CO2 typically 200 mm (8 in.) thick and include 300 x 600 mm (12
footprint than conventional concrete mixtures. Aesthetics and x 24 in.) pilasters. The walls stop short of the lower level of
long-term performance were also major considerations. As muqarnas, allowing outside light filtered through translucent
Candalepas notes, “Low-shrinkage performance, in particular, glass to illuminate the minidomes from below. To meet
was a significant consideration given the complexity and thermal and aesthetic requirements, the wall areas between
pilasters also have interior insulation as well as granite and
hoop pine veneer plywood finishes. The concrete used to
construct the walls had an 80 mm (3-1/4 in.) slump and a
maximum aggregate size of 20 mm (3/4 in.). The concrete used
to construct the muqarnas had a 120 mm (4-3/4 in.) slump.

The Dome
The designer initially envisioned the dome to be
constructed in stone. However, after a series of prototypes
were considered, a structural steel dome supported by a
concrete ring beam was selected. The ceiling of the dome is
finished with sheets of marine plywood with hoop pine veneer
(a)
(Fig. 5). The stepped concentric circles of the ceiling and ring
beam, along with the diffuse light provided by the dome’s

(b)

(a) (b)
(c)

Fig. 4: Muqarnas were formed using molded fiberglass minidomes Fig. 5: The dome is a structural steel structure that includes a
spaced 120 mm (5 in.) apart, and the flat surfaces between minidomes clerestory base: (a) a view during construction, showing the steel
were formed using galvanized steel on plywood panels: (a) view of structure above the concrete ring beam; and (b) a view after
minidome forms installed on scaffolding; (b) view of exterior formwork completion, showing the visual drama created by the diffuse lighting
for the sloping roof; and (c) view of minidomes during stripping of the stepped ring beam and veneer ceiling (photos by Adrian Curtin,
operations (photos by Adrian Curtin, courtesy of Boral Australia) courtesy of Boral Australia)

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | MARCH 2020 39

oculus and clerestory, create an ethereal aesthetic in the main construction deck above the flat ceiling and placed the form
prayer hall. for the ring beam, constructing it in two concrete placements
The builder cast a 100 x 100 mm (4 x 4 in.) rebate into the (Fig. 6). Candalepas says the construction deck remained in
top of the mosque walls and muqarnas to recess the place as the formwork for the muqarnas was stripped below it
construction joint for the flat concrete ceiling and profiled in December 2016. After that, the builder began working on
ring beam. Then the construction team fashioned a the steel structure of the dome, clerestory glazing, and oculus.
By the end of January 2017, the formwork of the muqarnas as
well as the scaffolding had been stripped away to reveal the
main prayer space’s finished interior.

Appreciation
Punchbowl Mosque won the 2018 Sulman Medal for
Public Architecture before it was completed in December
2018. The mosque opened for worship in the summer of 2019.

Note: Additional information on the Australian standard discussed in this

article can be found at www.standards.org.au.
(a)
Selected for reader interest by the editors.

Deborah R. Huso is Creative Director

and Founding Partner of WWM,
Charlottesville, VA. Her publication
credits include positions as contributing
editor with the Progressive Farmer and
as a monthly columnist for HousingWire
magazine. She has contributed articles
to many other publications, including
Precast Solutions, U.S. News and World
(b)
Report, USA Today, and Business Insider, and she has provided
Fig. 6: Ring beam construction: (a) before the first concrete website development and content strategy for several Fortune
placement; and (b) before the second placement (photos by Adrian 500 companies.
Curtin, courtesy of Boral Australia)

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