The semiotics of modern architecture at Masjid Jami Darussalam Tanah Abang Jakarta Available to Purchase

Mosque, as an Islamic religious building, has become the center of civilization since Prophet Muhammad era until Ottoman Empire. As a main religious architectural building type for Moslem’s, Mosque constantly changes through history in the dynamic process of cultural transformation especially in this modern era. The modern architecture ideology of rejecting the older architecture styles and promoting a more functional approach on building design have affected mosque’s design today. It is a fact that throughout history, Mosque Architecture has its own formal typological characteristics which was perceived as a symbol of the Muslim community. This paper discusses the controversy about modern mosque designs today by taking the case study of Jami Darussalam Mosque in Tanah Abang Jakarta. The triangular shape of the mosque visual image was criticized by some Islamic fundamentalist as being not represented a common mosque at all. Therefore, this paper takes the opportunity to approach this architectural unique case through a critical perspective by taking an issue around the problematic meaning of Modern Architectural Mosque from Semiotics point of view. By applying semiotic theory into architecture, we hope to obtain a more understanding perspective about the process of how the meaning behind a sign was emerged. In order to conduct this research, we interview the people living inside and outside of Jami Darussalam Mosque neighborhood, and we also study the typology of the mosque. The intention of this method is to resolve the controversy around the Mosque visual appearance through the process of how a meaning from a sign interpreted and whether the design also affects the religious activities inside.