References

A precast mosque

In early months of 2010, Akat Prefabrication Company assumed the challenging task of building Turkey's first-ever fully prefabricated reinforced concrete mosque and minaret to be located in the city of Manisa in western Turkey. The mosque with a modern architecture encompasses a 300 square meter indoor area. Structural system of the mosque is completely comprised of prefabricated reinforced concrete frame elements with special connections that do not interfere with the architectural aesthetics. Other architectural components of the mosque, such as the entrance arch as well as the façade panels have all been made of prefabricated elements.

At the initial stages of the project, General Manager of Akat Prefabrication, Mr. Gürol Gerzile, contacted our team at Peikko Turkey and inquired to use Peikko wall shoes in the 31.5 meter high minaret of the mosque. Through collaboration of Akat and Peikko Turkey design teams, a structural system have been designed that combine use of post-tensioning tendons, Peikko PSK wall shoes and anchor bolts to connect the 3.0 meter high cylindrical prefabricated reinforced concrete segments to each other and the foundation. Once all the segments were connected by the wall shoes, the post-tensioning tendons that run along the height of the minaret towers were stressed through a compartment beneath the foundation of the tower. The 9.0 meter high parabolic wall that surrounds the entrance of the minaret is also made of precast elements.

With the major superstructure construction already completed, the mosque is scheduled to open in the following weeks. Mr. Gerzile believes that the Manisa Mosque could be a proto-type for modern mosques to be built in the future. Project has also become a perfect example of the wide range of use Peikko products can achieve.