The Bilarab Bin Haitham Award (BHA) for Architectural Design recently announced the names of the 10 top projects qualified to the finalists in the award’s second edition.
This competition invited to design for the Maritime History Museum (MHM) in the Wilayat of Sur, South Al Sharqiyah Governorate in line with the plans of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism to establish a new world-class destination.
The museum will be developed as a cultural and educational national institute that will house, preserve, and showcase the seafaring Omani heritage.
The Museum will be located on Sur Beach on a site area of 14,154 m2 and the building must be mainly accessed by car, coach, and pedestrians from the nearby neighbourhoods.
Designers must know large numbers of visitors will arrive and exit the site safely, as well as the size and location of the car park.
The finalists will contest the final three positions.
Of the six group teams which qualified for the design are Qais bin Khalfan al Rawahi and Adnan bin Ahmed Qatan; Mwada bint Saif al Sawafi and Mohammed bin Najm al Tamami; Ammar bin Abdulhameed al Kiumi, Firas bin Nasser al Hashar, and Mouaid Mubarek al Araimi; Hafsa Mohammed al Balushi, Reem Rashid al Hashimi and Shatha Abdullah al Sifi and Kawthar Nasser al Azri, Fatima Abdullah al Baluhsi and Amal Salim al Zawawi; Mohammed Khodabaksh al Balushi, Ammar Saleh al Saleh and Rawnaq Rashid al Ismaili.
Individual finalists are Yousef Ahmed al Ibrahim, Al Motaz Abdullah al Nabri, Mohammed Salah al Balushi, and Ahmed Abdullah al Abadi.
The finalists will present their projects before the jury panel in the Wilayat of Sur between January 30 and February 1.
The committee will deliver its observations directly on the projects for the candidates to finalise those projects and submit the final format by February 10.
DESIGNS:
The first project of the 10 finalists embodies the idea of a historical path that relies on the famous pole star as a landmark for travelers to reflect the skill of the people of Sur in sailing with the help of the stars.
The second project carries broader dimensions for the Maritime History Museum Project, as the museum will contribute to reshaping the coastline of Sur in terms of its impact on life and society with its components and construction elements.
The third project is characterised by a dynamic façade that harmonises with the wind movement affecting the suspended metal panels, and the flowing movement in the exterior surface expresses the white sails.
The fourth project embodies the extended maritime history of the Sultanate of Oman architecturally, taking its details from Omani ships.
The fifth project underlines the main historical trade lines of the city of Sur, the idea of directions, and the experience of Omanis in maritime navigation.
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