American sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term "third place" in his 1989 book 'The Great Good Place'. He described the "third place" as a place outside your home (first place) and work (second place) where you can spend time, socialise, and unwind — a place where you can interact with others, share your thoughts and ideas, and foster the connections that are intrinsic to our well-being as social animals.

In 1996, post-modern political geographer and urban theorist Edward Soja redefined third spaces as "an ever-changing and dynamic conceptual space that covers physical and mental worlds, merging people's and communities' perceived reality, imagination, and lived experiences". Soja's theory of Third Space derived from Henry Lefebvre's concept of Lived Spaces, Foucault's concept of Heterotopias, Bell Hooks' theories of radical openness, and other notions, ideologies, and standpoints that engage with spatiality, historicality, and sociality.

For most of human history, third spaces were community spaces like churches, mosques, and gymnasiums (in the archaic Greek sense of the word), where people could congregate and connect with each other.

In theory, these should be spaces of complete and radical openness, free from the conflicts of race, gender, class, sexuality, age, country, religion, nature, empire, and colonialism. In reality, however, modern religious spaces have been just as dogmatic as their historic counterparts.

Here are five architectural projects across South Asia that are aiming to change that by radically redefining these community spaces:

The design of Masjid-e-Zubaida, in Raichur, Karnataka, by Neogenesis+Studi0261, was conceived with a primary notion that a religious space should be such that it helps people meditate and cleanses them both emotionally and spiritually. The unique mosque designed by Chinmay Laiwala, Jigar Asarawala, and Tarika Asarawala does away with all aesthetic grandeur, and focuses precisely on the essentials spaces such as the minaret, the mihrab, the minbar, and the ibadat khana.

The minaret acts as a visual marker for the mosque and serves as a reminder of the presence of God. Exposed brick jaali makes up most of the facade allowing sunlight to enter and create a ‘sense of awe’ inside the prayer hall. The louvered glass, incorporated into the doors and facades, aids light and ventilation. The openings on the upper side of the Ibadat Khana further enhance and light up the space. The Qibla wall (marking the direction of the Kaaba, Mecca, the most sacred place in Islam) has been left plain to turn one’s attention from the outside environment. Sunlight from the skylight above gradually washes the wall as a reminder that God is the light of the heaven above. The presence of a madrassa in the basement of the mosque aids multiplicity.

The Moksha crematorium in Panaji, Goa, by Rahul Deshpande and Associates, is a unique community space shared by Hindus, Shias, Sunnis, and Lingayats to perform the last rites and rituals for the departed. The greatest challenge of the project was to accommodate each group's stringent and divergent ritualistic as well as aesthetic needs in terms of colour, expression, visual language, and privacy. In the end, the architects decided to divide the space into different segments with common access.

Lead architect Rahul Deshpande chose bricks from a local kiln and used them in their natural colour in the entire construction to create a sense of oneness and signify the inspiration of this project: "You are a part of this Earth, all along, in life as in death."

Designed and built over nine years, the crematorium utilizes the soothing play of space and negative space, mass and void, simple lines, and the minimal use of lights to create calm and quietude for the mourners.

The Dr. Vishnuvardhan Memorial Complex in rural Mysuru, Karnataka, designed by Bangalore-based M9 Design Studio, transcends its role as a mere memorial to the iconic Kannada actor Sampath Kumar, better known by his stage name Vishnuvardhan, and stands testament to the transformative power of design in fostering community dialogue and social change. From the inception of the project, the architectural team led by Nischal Abhaykumar set out with a clear objective to create a space that would not only honor the memory of Dr. Vishnuvardhan but also serve as a hub for social transformation — a space where the local community could come together to discuss and address social and civil issues.

A monolithic pink concrete structure at the edge of an waterbody on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, the Zebun Nessa mosque by Studio Morphogenesis was designed as a permeable pavilion that encourages a deeper connection between water and land, which serves as both a spiritual and breathing space for the workers within an industrial compound. The owner of the compound wanted to build a mosque for the workers to commemorate his late mother. Informed and inspired by this narrative, lead architect Saiqa Iqbal Meghna designed the mosque to be a social-spiritual space.

The design of the mosque features many elements that allow filtered natural light and ventilation, creating a literal breathing space. The monolithic sanctum sits on a high plinth reminiscent of the indigenous earthen houses built on a 'bhit' or mound in the Bengal delta. Additionally, the thick, double-layered walls and the 'jaali' screens create and maintain a micro-climate within the mosque ensuring the interior prayer hall remains comfortable in the region's tropical climate.

Light plays an essential role in the designing of religious structures in Islamic architectural traditions. Located in the northern suburbs of Mumbai, the Ismaili Jamatkhana & Community Centre, designed by NUDES, explores the relationship between light, geometry, and built form to create an experiential space.

The outer façade of the structure uses an array of multi-sided polygons, creating a 'mashrabiya'. Originally meant to be a space to cool and drink water stored in earthen pots, mashrabiyas gradually evolved into spaces meant to cool and ventilate larger structures. The role of the mashrabiya is two-fold: to provide privacy and combat the harsh sunlight of the region. The mashrabiya-inspired screens of the Jamatkhana protect the building from the sun as well as offer privacy without compromising ventilation.

While the main structure houses the Prayer Hall facing west towards Kabba in Mecca, the social hall on the ground floor spills over onto the landscaped gardens. The triangular foyer extends outwards to create a cantilevered skylit canopy. A landscaped terrace, located above the entrance to create an outdoor experience overlooking the garden, and also serves as spill-over to the Prayer Hall on the first floor. The space serves social, religious, and educational functions.

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