Islamic architecture can be studied from different aspects. This paper introduces a religious place in Bushehr city of Iran, a Bahrah or Hosseiniye that is used in especial religious ceremony and was built a century ago and after recent renovations is still in use and applicable. The research tries to quantify and analyze its visual quality as an important quality in the built environment with a tool called isovist in Syntax 2D software. In this study isovist indexes of six different spaces have been evaluated in this. The research shows interesting findings of spatial form and location and its visibility; for example it shows that spaces with circulation role have more visibility also spaces of the higher floor show higher visibility than the ground floor.

Cleanliness and purity are two of primary things in Islam. Moslems are supposed to maintain their cleanliness and purity in every aspect of their lives. In mosques, cleanliness of place is one of the most important aspects to be concerned because it is closely related to worship activities. However, mosques architecture these days are more concern about the aesthetical aspect rather than the cleanliness aspect. In this paper, an evaluation for the islamic cleanliness (thaharah) aspect has been explained for some great mosques, i.e. Jami’ Mosque Malang, an-Nur Mosque Pare Kediri, and A.R. Fachruddin Mosque Muhammadiyah University of Malang. In these great mosques, the cleanliness and the purity problems often appear because of the failure in design, such as the position and the design of toilet, the thaharah system, the visitors’ circulation, the building maintenance, etc. Because of these problems, a design guideline which has a priority in the aspect of cleanliness that can be applied in other mosques’ architectural design is also described in this paper.

Is a brand a product, a service, or a company? Is it a logo, a marketing strategy or an attitude? As globalization intensifies, places increasingly compete with other places for attention, influence, markets, investments, businesses, visitors, residents, talent and events. And competition is no longer restricted to the well-known places down the road, over the hill or across the water. Places now compete with cities, regions and countries halfway around the world. Places are increasingly getting caught off guard by unpredicted and apparently rapid shifts in competition and abruptly lose their historic purpose or their competitive edge, be it economic, social or cultural. Culture fills our cities, regions, nations and even our rural landscapes with spiritual content. Our places are an expression of who we are and what we value and they are ruthless in projecting the bad alongside the good. In its widest sense culture includes art, design, education, science, religion and sport. In the context of place branding it is the manifestation of our beliefs, values, customs and behaviors. Merging culture to brand within our city tissue is an essential part of the morphology within its spaces. This paper is trying to discuss the contribution of Islamic culture to a place brand; Relationship between culture and identity, image, visual identity etc. in the context of place branding; Impact of culture on brand equity; Developing cultural brand assets to brand places and how should we value and evaluate culture in the context of place branding? Also will try to find answers to the following: Do we have a precise understanding of how Islamic culture adds value to or devalues a place? Do we have a methodology for capturing the value of our Islamic culture to places? And, can this culture be developed with the intent to create better places and place brands?

This study discusses about the Islamic view from al-Quran and al-Hadith about beauty and its application in the form of architectural ornamentation of the building. This is done to obtain the basic philosophical as well as corridors for the implementation of the beauty in the building, as well as to restore the function of ornamentation itself. Of this study obtained an understanding that displayed beauty should still consider the values of Islam, namely the value of the benefit, harm avoidance, tauhid, cleanliness, and so forth. Between the harm to be avoided in the ornamentation of the mosque is a tendency to exaggerate (mubadzir), depiction of animate beings, disturbance of concentration, intention to brag, luxury, causing difficulty in maintaining cleanliness in the future, and so forth. The expression of beauty can also be done through simplicity, moderation, harmony with nature, concern for human needs and society, and conformity with the rules set by God Almighty and His Messenger.

There are two points of departure in the design of mosque architecture in Nusantara, namely architectural homogeneity and architectural hybridity. Each provides the legitimacy of the architecture of identity formation. This paper seeks to explore the comparative, the concept of homogeneity and hybridity architecture, with a critical theory approach. The results of this search is, the concept of architectural homogeneity establishing assumption that certain architectural forms are supposed to represent "universal identity and modernity" of Muslim architecture. Meanwhile, the concept of architectural hybridity to show enrichment architecture identity because of the attempt to combine aspects of the universality of Islam with locality of Nusantara. Both these aspects can be positioned as the two subjects of mutual dialogue in a parallel position. As architecture strategy, the concept of hybridity reflects the effort or ijtihad in interpreting local and universal contextuality in the contemporary conditions that are constantly evolving and open.

This paper discusses the concepts of God, man, and the natural environment, as well as some of their implications for Islamic architecture. The paper is divided into eight sections, (1) Introduction: what is Islamic architecture?, (2) Tawhid (God’s Oneness), (3) Islam and the role of man on earth, (4) Islam and the environment, (5) The importance of built environment, (6) Peaceful and sustainable coexistence between the environment, architecture and man, (7) The unique soul of Islamic architecture, and (8) Conclusion. The nature of the paper – its content, methodology, and conclusions –, is conceptual and philosophical, rather than empirical. The paper concludes that Islamic architecture is an architecture that through its multidimensionality embodies the message of Islam. It both facilitates the Muslims’ realization of the Islamic purpose and its divine principles on earth and promotes a lifestyle generated by such a philosophy and principles. At the core of Islamic architecture lies function with all of its dimensions: corporeal, cerebral and spiritual. The role of the form is an important one too, but only inasmuch as it supplements and enhances function.