Muscat - Muscat Municipality recently celebrated the conclusion of the Oman Urban Hackathon competition under the patronage of Her Highness Sayyida Meyyan bint Shihab al Said and in the presence of Ahmed bin Mohammed al Hamidi, chairman of Muscat Municipality.
Muscat Municipality organized the competition in collaboration with Oman Think Urban.
The participating teams were divided into two categories, with five teams each competing to design the City Amphitheatre site at Qurum Park and Al Manuma Souq.
Participants presented their ideas and designs to a judging panel, which included Professor Mahmoud al Wahaibi, founder of Oman Think Urban, Majda al Hinai, architect and visual artist, Dr Samia al Mabsali, lecturer in the engineering department at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Muscat, and Engineer Maryam al Balushi, architect and urban planner.
Speaking about the competition, Ahmed bin Mohammed al Hamidi said: "We were pleased to organize this competition, which provided Omani engineers and urban planners the opportunity to showcase their talent and creativity in designing urban and sustainable sites that align with our goals towards building vibrant and prosperous projects.
"At Muscat Municipality, we seek to collaborate with public and private sector entities and introduce initiatives that contribute to achieving sustainable development goals and improving the level of urban planning by the objectives of Oman Vision 2040."
The event began with the registration and first screening phase, which focused on a park redesign – the ten teams with the most creative and feasible projects qualified to participate in the hackathon.
During the competition, participants went through multiple stages, including developing initial ideas, designing, presenting ideas, creating detailed plans and maps, and finally implementing the design with Muscat Municipality.
The criteria for selecting winners were based on the originality and innovation of the idea, considering community opinions and desires, economic feasibility, ease of implementation, and the sustainability of building materials.
The competition witnessed competition, with a team consisting of Muhannad al Harouni; Rashid al Musalhi; Zuhair al Sawafi, and Salim al Alawi winning the "Best Pitch" award.
The team consisting of Wadah al Rashdi, Abdullah al Rashdi, Mundhir al Ajmi, and Muhaymin al Touqi won the first prize for the City Amtheatre site at Qurum Park.
At Al-Manuma Souq, the team of Rounaq Al-Ismaili and Shema Al-Balushi won the "Best Pitch" award, while the first prize went to the team of Abeer al Lawati, Zahra al Lawati, and Fatima Al-Sawai.
Professor Mahmoud al Wahaibi," The idea of the hackathon emerged from the community's need for outdoor spaces in different areas, optimizing and developing the infrastructure in Muscat Governorate, and striving to apply modern urban planning principles and social sustainability foundations."
The winning designs included social and commercial elements ensuring economic returns, such as shops, food stalls, zip lines, and city observation platforms. The projects also embraced renewable energy factors by utilizing solar power, rainwater, and wadis to create an environment harmonious with the city.
The Oman Urban Hackathon was an innovative challenge aimed at redesigning key public sites in the Muscat Governorate while preserving architectural identity and urban fabric and applying social sustainability principles. Participants developed feasible ideas and designs focused on various social, service, and economic aspects.
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