A STATE-OF-THE-ART eco-friendly mosque that will be the largest in Dubai is scheduled to open by the end of 2013, the Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF) has revealed.

To be built at a cost of $6.8 million, the mosque will have a capacity to accommodate 3,500 worshippers. It will be constructed using eco-friendly materials, avoiding the use of asbestos and polystyrene, and the latest technologies in energy efficiency to curb wastage in air-conditioning while enabling reduction of energy and water consumption by 15 to 19 per cent. It will use thermal insulation, programmed and automatic thermostat, suction fans with energy recovery units, and natural light and heat-reflective colours, especially at the interfaces and roofs.

It will have technologies such as solar panels to heat water for ablution and recycling plants to treat water for gardening and washroom purposes.

To be built over an area of 105,000 sq ft near the Clock Tower Roundabout in Deira, the 45,000-sq-ft mosque will also house the Imam’s (priest) house and feature green spaces, particularly gardens on the roof.

Tayeb Abdulrahman Al Rais, secretary-general of the AMAF, said that with the global call for energy conservation, it is essential for developers to take responsibility for creating buildings that comply with green standards.

“The construction of the mosque is in line with the UAE leadership’s vision towards the conservation of resources, environment protection and the adoption of green practices,” he said.