Diriyah Biennale Foundation Reveals Global Shortlist for AlMusalla Prize 2027

The Diriyah Biennale Foundation has announced the four architecture studios shortlisted for the AlMusalla Prize 2027. Launched by the foundation in 2024 to reimagine the futures of spaces of worship, the prize returns for its second edition as a centerpiece of the third edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale, opening on November 1, 2027. The competition has invited architects to design an adaptable, flexible musalla—a space for prayer and contemplation open to all visitors.
 The musalla will be built on the site of the Islamic Arts Biennale at the SOM–designed, Aga Khan Award–winning Western Hajj Terminal at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. After the close of the biennale, the musalla will be relocated to its permanent home at the industrial heritage district of JAX, a burgeoning multidisciplinary creative district in Saudi Arabia’s cultural capital of Diriyah. The shortlisted studios were invited to design one musalla that will flourish at both sites: an expansive, open site under soaring canopies at the Western Hajj Terminal in Jeddah, and among a tightly knit collection of former industrial warehouse spaces at the JAX District in Diriyah.
 CEO of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation Aya Al-Bakree stated, “Reimagining and transforming urban spaces as living cultural spaces that nurture community and expand public engagement with original ideas has been embedded in our foundation’s DNA since its inception. From the adaptive reuse of the warehouses at JAX, to the canopies of the Western Hajj Terminal, our intention is to transform sites into platforms of cultural exchange and collective experience.
 In only two years since we launched the AlMusalla Prize, its remarkable growth and international recognition reflect a global appetite for places of contemplation that honor heritage but that also engage with the needs and aspirations of contemporary society. This year’s shortlist is especially compelling for both its geographic breadth and conceptual ambition. From practices deeply rooted in the region’s urban landscape to studios rethinking the social and material possibilities of architecture, each team brings a distinctive perspective, which will culminate in ideas that enrich the Islamic Arts Biennale and our visitors’ understanding of Islamic cultures, past and present.”
 The four shortlisted firms were selected for their ability to harmonize spiritual practices with sustainable innovation, and each brings a distinct lens to the challenge of the prayer space. They are Al-Jawad Pike (UK), Civil Architecture (Bahrain/Kuwait), MILLIØNS (USA), and NEW SOUTH (France).
 The challenge for this edition of the AlMusalla Prize was to design a single intervention for two different sites and contexts, in Jeddah and Diriyah. This contrasts with that of the first edition of the prize, in which architects were invited to create a “traveling musalla” which was designed to be easily demountable and built first in Jeddah at the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025, before being presented at the Venice Architecture Biennale and the inaugural edition of the Bukhara Biennial, and ultimately returning to Jeddah.
 The shortlisted architects for the AlMusalla Prize 2027 are set to advance to a final evaluation phase conducted by a specialized jury. This jury will be chaired by CEO of the Architecture and Design Commission at the Saudi Ministry of Culture Prince Nawaf bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf, and is expected to comprise experts in architectural history, practice, and sustainability, with a particular focus on the nuances of Islamic architecture.
 Prince Nawaf said, “The AlMusalla Prize offers a unique challenge: to design a structure that is both transient and permanent, rooted in tradition yet forward-looking. The jury is looking for a proposal that demonstrates exceptional material innovation, architectural integrity, and, above all, a profound understanding of the sanctity of the prayer space. We are not just selecting a design; we are selecting a contribution to the ongoing global discourse on contemporary Islamic art and design, which has already proven its reach and resonance on the world stage.”
 The structure must meet all requirements for prayer, maintain a maximum footprint of 20 × 20 meters, and adhere to a maximum height of 12 meters. Following the four-month duration of the biennale, the structure will be dismantled and permanently relocated to JAX District, Diriyah.
 The winning design will be announced in March 2027, with its inauguration coinciding with the opening of the third edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale.