First Ismaili Center in the U.S., Designed by Farshid Moussavi Architecture, Opens in Houston

"The Ismaili Center in Houston, the first of its kind in the United States, was inaugurated on November 6, 2025, by Mayor John Whitmire. Designed by Farshid Moussavi Architecture and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, the 11-acre site overlooking Buffalo Bayou Park establishes a new architectural and cultural landmark within Houston's urban and social landscape. Located at the intersection of Allen Parkway and Montrose Boulevard,"

"The design integrates spaces for worship, gathering, and reflection, serving both the Ismaili community and the wider public. Comprising a 150,000-square-foot, five-story structure surrounded by extensive gardens, courtyards, and shaded promenades, the Center is conceived as an environment for contemplation and connection, embodying the Ismaili ethos of balance between people, place, and nature. Developed in collaboration with AKT II, DLR Group, and McCarthy Building Companies, the Ismaili Center was realized through a multidisciplinary process that integrated architecture, landscape, and engineering from the outset."

The Ismaili Center in Houston was inaugurated on November 6, 2025, by Mayor John Whitmire. The 11-acre site overlooks Buffalo Bayou Park at Allen Parkway and Montrose Boulevard. The five-story, 150,000-square-foot building sits within extensive gardens, courtyards, and shaded promenades. The Center includes a Jamatkhana, exhibition and performance spaces, lecture and learning facilities, and communal gathering areas. Farshid Moussavi Architecture and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects led the design, with engineering and construction by AKT II, DLR Group, and McCarthy Building Companies. The design interprets architectural ideas from across the Muslim world through contemporary use of structure, geometry, light, verandas, and perforated stone screens.

Read at ArchDaily