Opening in November 2025, the Ismaili Centre Houston, designed by Farshid Moussavi Architecture, showcases a meticulously crafted façade that blends Islamic geometry with modern materials. The exterior spans 150,000 square feet and employs a layered approach to balance openness, light, and thermal comfort.
The lower façade is clad in pale limestone masonry, carefully textured with shallow reliefs to create subtle visual rhythm. Rising above, the upper volumes feature perforated metal screens, designed with repeating geometric patterns drawn from traditional Islamic motifs. These screens diffuse sunlight, casting patterned shadows across interior walls and floors, while providing privacy and solar control. The perforations are calibrated in size and density to optimize daylight penetration while reducing glare in the central atrium.
Horizontally projecting eivans and shaded verandas, supported by slender stone columns, form transitional zones between interior and exterior spaces, modulating the harsh Texan sun. Glass panels integrated behind the screens enhance transparency and allow filtered views of the surrounding nine-acre landscape designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz.
Clerestory windows and skylights direct controlled light into the five-story atrium, creating dynamic illumination that emphasizes the layered geometry of the façade. The interplay of solid stone, perforated metal, and glass planes not only defines the building’s visual identity but also embodies the Ismaili Centre’s mission: openness, dialogue, and cultural exchange. 
Through precision in material selection, geometric ornamentation, and daylight modulation, the Houston Ismaili Centre establishes itself as a contemporary architectural landmark defined by its innovative façade design.
Source: Farshid Moussavi Architecture with additional information added by Glass Balkan
