Ecological Interior Architecture in Contemporary Mosques: Connecting Sustainability and Wellbeing in Sacred Community Spaces

Can evolving urban cities rise to the challenge of shaping community spaces that not only symbolize environmental responsibility but also nurture community wellbeing? Sacred spaces, particularly mosques, represent an underutilized opportunity to support sustainability and social resilience through interior spatial transformation. Despite their cultural significance and symbolic permanence, these spaces are rarely explored as adaptable, multifunctional environments aligned with ecological goals. This study responds to this gap by exploring how ecological interior design and environmental psychology can inform the adaptive reuse of sacred spaces into sustainable, community-centred environments. Converging on two contemporary case studies in Dubai, the net-zero Majid Al Futtaim Mosque and the Light Mosque. The research employs an exploratory triangulated approach, integrating site-based observation, visual documentation, secondary sources, and brief user and staff interviews. Findings reveal that while the Light Mosque excels in sensory-spiritual resonance through passive ecological design, the Net-Positive Mosque demonstrates technological leadership with measurable sustainability outcomes. This contrast highlights the need for a framework for future eco-mosques to unite environmental ethics with sensory and cultural intelligence, reframing sacred interiors as adaptive infrastructures of healing, resilience, and ecological citizenship.