{"id":377,"date":"2025-03-18T07:45:40","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T07:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alimudafiq.com\/?p=377"},"modified":"2025-11-09T07:04:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T07:04:29","slug":"sunken-majlis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alimudafiq.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/18\/sunken-majlis\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunken Majlis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Nestled in the southern foothills of Mount Gede in West Java, Sukabumi is a small hill station with a cooler climate than the lowlands around it. About 100 km south of Jakarta, it remains somewhat detached from the capital\u2019s sprawl. Sunken Majlis sits in a quieter part of the city, in a remote village where suburban slums spread across open land\u2014land yet to be shaped by urban planing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The design was shaped by the site\u2019s unique conditions. Aware of its distinct character, the design team approached the project with caution and careful attention. Though the community was growing, there was already a strong tradition embedded within it. Sunken Majlis was envisioned as both a community and faith project.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Right beside the site stood an old mosque, long established as the heart of the community. Over time, it had faded from view, hidden behind a house that had grown taller with each expansion. From the main road, it was almost invisible, but as one approached, it emerged\u2014bearing and dignified behind the house.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The site for Sunken Majlis was already slightly lower than the mosque, but a typical structure here would have made the mosque feel obstructed, disrupting its presence. Instead, the majlis<\/em> was kept as low and as humble as possible\u2014its proportions subdued, its presence quiet\u2014so that rather than competing with the mosque, it allowed its majesty to remain undisturbed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The new structure is a couple of simple, windowless cubic volumes\u2014laid flat and quiet, keeping all attention on the mosque behind.<\/sub><\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Seen through the mosque\u2019s gate, the openness of the new structure offer an inviting gesture toward the old.<\/sup><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A narrow pathway holds both gates close, tying the new structure to the mosque in both distance and purpose.<\/sup><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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How did it come together? Well, the design kept things simple\u2014just an arrangement of two windowless cubic volumes, softened by a long clerestory forming a single line beneath the eaves. On the other side, its doors open wide toward the mosque gate, with only a narrow path\u2014around a metre wide\u2014separating them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Majlis<\/em> is an Arabic term meaning \u2018sitting room,\u2019 often used to describe special gatherings, whether social or religious, in Islamic culture. The hope was that the narrow passageway would bring the established community closer to the new structure\u2014guiding them along the same path, whether heading to the mosque or the majlis<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Sunken Majlis is led by an ustadz<\/em>\u2014a term of Persian origin, used in Indonesia as an honorific for an Islamic faith teacher. He was brought in from a nearby village, hired by the project\u2019s owners to foster the space with knowledge and guidance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s not like building a house for private clients, where the property stands on its own and has its own rights, is it? This is a community and faith project\u2014but with particular challenge. The clients choose to bring in an ustadz<\/em> from outside the established community, from another village entirely, to run the majlis. That meant a new connection had to be forged\u2014something that could bridge those worlds and bring them together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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So, the strong contextual approach didn\u2019t just shape the design\u2014it carried through the construction process and continues even now, as the structure stands and serves its purpose.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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A moment from the construction process\u2014the ustadz <\/em>(right) updating the project owners on his experience settling into the community.<\/sup><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The dwelling unit came first, giving the ustadz<\/em> a home before the rest of the project took shape.<\/sup><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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As part of the approach, the Sunken Majlis was built by local hands. Ojak, who runs a home-shop just across the street, took the lead among the builders. Working under him was Abah, the father of the ustadz<\/em> who would later run the majlis. The rest of the workers came from the neighbouring slums, drawn in from the community around the site. Everything was done on site, with the construction managed by a contractor chosen by the project\u2019s owners.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The building itself is made up of two separate volumes, brought together as a single whole. One, about 35 square metres, serves as a dwelling for the ustadz<\/em>\u2014what they later called the Sunken Dwelling. The other, around 100 square metres, was designed as a space for teaching children and young people about Islam. The dwelling came first. Only once the ustadz<\/em> had moved in and settled into the community did the construction of the majlis<\/em> begin\u2014a response not just to the physical site, but to the social fabric around it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The structure was built primarily using AAC (Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) bricks, finished with a rough cement plaster. This texture was intentional\u2014helping the building blend naturally into the surroundings. Though a single asphalt road cuts through the village, most paths are still dirt tracks, just untreated clay underfoot. Painting the building white also gave it a neutral presence, setting it quietly among the neighbouring slums.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The roof is made of corrugated UPVC sheets. With its double-layered panels and air cavities, it offers natural insulation\u2014keeping the space cool under the hard sun and muffling the roar of heavy rain. No artificial ceiling was needed, which not only kept the interior honest to its structure but also cut construction cost by eliminating extra materials and support frameworks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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To honour the existing symbol of the community, the design took a simple rectangular plan and carved out a section along the side that runs parallel to the mosque\u2014creating a sunken garden in its place. In a way, what was removed from the new structure became an addition to the old one, giving the mosque a touch of greenery it never had before. Just one of the ways the design tried to bridge the gap between past and present.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The colour scheme was another way to tie the new structure to the mosque. A red accent runs along the eaves\u2019 soffit, highlights certain openings, and marks the exposed iron roof structure\u2014echoing the warm tones of the existing mosque, which is painted in pale yellow and orange. The palette chosen for the new structure simply extended the gradation, letting the two buildings feel like part of the same visual story.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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All standing, vertical elements\u2014steel structural posts beneath the eaves and all wooden doors\u2014are painted in orange. Some are painted the same orange as the mosque\u2019s piers, while others take on a deeper, reddish-orange, reinforcing the colour continuity. Unlike standard wooden doors, these have no upper jamb\u2014just two side jambs to hold the door leaf and lockset. Another small but intentional choice to cut down on materials and keep costs low.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Convincing the clients wasn\u2019t easy. At first, they expected. a straightforward layout\u2014just another building with its frontage facing the main road, like any other. But the architects posed a simple question, \u2018where should the arse be\u2014towards the road, or towards the mosque?\u2019 In Indonesia, it\u2019s common to call the rear side of the building with \u2018arse\u2019 as for the term, instead of back. And the thought of turning their faith space\u2019s arse to the mosque? Well, that didn\u2019t sit right. That flipped the conversation entirely. And just like that, the decision made itself. They agreed\u2014the structure turned its face towards the mosque instead, reinforcing its role as place of faith and learning. And now, not just the locals, but people from nearby villages, come there to learn.

Did the architecture work? Who knows\u2014post occupancy study always going on as we strives \u2018research through design.\u2019 Stay brilliant! Cheers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sunken Majlis is a community and faith project set deep in rural Sukabumi, West Java. It was designed not just as a place for Islamic teaching but as a bridge\u2014between old and new, between the local community and an ustadz<\/em> brought in from outside. Yet, with an existing mosque already central to village life, the arrival of a new religious space carried its own tensions. Faith and tradition run deep here, and architecture had to do more than just build walls; it had to soften boundaries, foster connection, and earn its place in a landscape where belief is not just taught, but lived.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The corrugated UPVC roof is left exposed because its double layer configuration with air cavities in between provides quite good heat and sound insulation.<\/sup><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Now lived in, the dwelling is home to the ustadz<\/em>, his wife, and their two children.<\/sup><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Two separate masses define their own functions, yet a shared wet area pulls them into a single whole.<\/sup><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A shared garden links the new structure to the mosque, softening the line between them.<\/sup><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The old mosque\u2019s piers rises above the garden, seen through the overlapping layers of space.<\/sup><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Beyond connecting the two volumes, the wet area also extends the mosque\u2019s limited ablution spaces, ensuring function follows need.<\/sup><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The red soffit brought up by the exposed orange metal structure which is echoing the mosque\u2019s piers, continuing its palette\u2019s shade.<\/sup><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Sunken Majlis within the context.<\/sup><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Project Credits
(2021-2022)
Architects: MADs+Partner\u2014Alhamdamar Mudafiq, design principal; Bangkit Mandela, design team.
Photo & Narration: Alhamdamar Mudafiq<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nestled in the southern foothills of Mount Gede in West Java, Sukabumi is a small hill station with a cooler climate than the lowlands around it. About 100 km south of Jakarta, it remains somewhat detached from the capital\u2019s sprawl. Sunken Majlis sits in a quieter part of the city, in a remote village where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":385,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alimudafiq.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alimudafiq.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alimudafiq.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alimudafiq.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alimudafiq.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/alimudafiq.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":439,"href":"https:\/\/alimudafiq.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377\/revisions\/439"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alimudafiq.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alimudafiq.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alimudafiq.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alimudafiq.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}