Muscat: HH Sayyid Bilarab bin Haitham al Said presided over the award ceremony of the Bilarab Bin Haitham Award for Architectural Design, which was held at the Royal Opera House Muscat on Tuesday.
The first place went to Muttrah Square project by Ahmed Mohammed al Ghadhami, Omaima Mahmoud al Hinai and Abdullah Saleh al Bahri.
The second place went Nasser Salam Al Haimli for the Foundation Monument while the third place went to the Future of Oman Pavilion by Tahrah Mohammed al Busafi.
The Muttrah Square project is expected to raise the value of Muttrah with a unique landmark, where an iconic bridge in the middle of the square is designed in the form of a bird over the sea. The bridge captures the famous landmarks of Muttrah in one frame and will be surrounded by a mixed-use plaza that includes a dancing fountain, retail stores, and cafes, with lights that blend with the waves of the sea.
The aim of the competition was to invite designers and architects to propose a unique landmark for the area, taking into the 50 years of the Sultanate of Oman’s Renaissance and the goals of Oman Vision 2040.
Three top winners were honoured with the shields. which will be presented in digital copies using NFT technology for the first time in the Arab region.
The organisers received a total of 356 projects that met the competition’s requirements in the opening stage and the theme revolved around the development of Al Mina Waterfront area in the Wilayat of Muttrah.
Of these, 10 projects were designed by 19 young Omanis (including 5 individual participations and 5 group projects), were shortlisted to the final stage of the award.
The award targeted young Omanis who are specialized in the fields of architecture, design and urban planning can participate in the announced competition and are no more than 35 years of age.