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Towards an innovative and contemporary

Omani architectural style

His Highness Sayyid Bilarab bin Haitham bin Tarik Al Said

It is with great pleasure, in this special day, to announce to all the Omani youth of the blessing and approval of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, may Allah protect him, to launch the Bilarab bin Haitham Architectural Design Award. Indeed, His Majesty believes that these young Omanis have the capabilities and vitalities that can; from their own ideas, proposals and perceptions, contribute to adding creative aesthetic touches and attractive architectural elements to any part of the environment, in a way that contributes to achieving the great aspirations of Oman 2040 vision. Here, I would like to invite the youth of the Sultanate of Oman to unleash their ideas and imaginations, benefiting from the knowledge and skills they have acquired, and equipped with their passion and enthusiasm to take the initiative to participate in this competition and present their best ideas aimed primarily at the advancement of their country, assuring them that their perceptions will be the subject of interest and appreciation, and it will receive its share of study and analysis by the jury or committee that has been entrusted with the work of sorting and evaluating these perceptions in all impartiality and complete transparency. We assure you the same time that this award will be continued in multiple cycles, targeting each year a different style and a different location among the governorates of the Sultanate of Oman.

Award Message

Investing and empowering the national architectural capabilities and skills to develop different regions in the Sultanate of Oman that contribute to achieving an added value.

About the Award

Bilarab Bin Haitham Award for Architectural Design comes in line with the future vision and aspirations of the Sultanate of Oman in developing its different regions architecturally. It also comes in accordance with their geographical environment and cultural identity, and related to the development taking place in the field of architecture and design around the world.

Moreover, this award is concerned with the launch of an annual local competition with a global vision, aiming to compete for the design and innovation of unique architectural projects in certain regions in the Sultanate of Oman with a distinctive architectural character that combines originality and modernity and can be adopted on the ground.

The award also seeks to exploit the environmental and terrain diversity of the Sultanate of Oman in its various regions and governorates, where different topics will be presented in the architectural design from year to year targeting a specific architectural theme and a specific region or governorate.

Objectives and Goals

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Achieving the aspirations of Oman’s Vision 2040 to establish environmentally and friendly touristic and entertaining areas that provide attractions to the public and contribute to raising the quality of life in the Sultanate of Oman.

Investing the knowledge and skills of Omani youth specialized in the field of architecture and engineering design, and empowering their practical and technical capabilities to have an impact and added value to society.

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Creating investment opportunities for owners of small and medium enterprises SME by contributing to the operation of the award-winning projects, and providing them with appropriate services.

Investing some untapped lands in the Sultanate of Oman and transforming them into integrated tourism and entertainment destinations.

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Providing tourism and investment planning sectors with ideas and plans for modern and innovative projects that are applicable on the ground, and providing the opportunity for real estate development companies in the Sultanate to adopt some of these projects.

Evaluation Committee

Engineer Fuad Abdullah Moosa Al Kindi

Chairman of the Jury - President of the Oman Society of Engineers

Bachelor of Architecture
- University of Miami -
Masters in Mechanical Engineering
- University of London -


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Founder and partner in Ibn Khaldoun and Al Madaen Engineering Consultancy Company, President of the Oman Society of Engineers, advanced experience in project management

Dr. Alya Abdul Sattar Al-Hashim

Vice President - Associate Professor at Sultan Qaboos University

Bachelor of Architecture
- Sultan Qaboos University -
Master of Environmental Design
- University of Arizona -
PhD in Building Technology
- Georgia Tech University -
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Advanced experience in architecture, urban planning and development gained through a career path that has included different roles with increased responsibilities, along with demonstrated ability to influence and motivate others

Engineer Sultan Hamdoon Al Harthi

Former Head of Muscat Municipality

Bachelor of Architecture
- University of Arizona -
Master of Architecture
- University of Arizona -

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Extensive executive and leadership experience in the areas of leadership, planning, governance and governance to project management, Head of a number of high profile government companies

Engineer Hamed Nasser Al Hinai

CEO of Arkan Business

BA in Architecture
- Leeds Metropolitan University -
Ÿ Postgraduate Diploma in Architectural Engineering
- Oxford Brookes University -
Masters in Urban Design
- Oxford Brookes University -
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Experience in the field of design and construction, participated in a wide range of architectural designs, extensive experience in architecture and implementation of small and large construction projects

Engineer Saif Ali Nasser Al-Hinai

Chief Development Officer at Omran

Bachelor of Architecture
- University of Oklahoma, USA -



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Advanced experience in architecture, urban planning and development gained through a career path that has included different roles with increased responsibilities, along with demonstrated ability to influence and motivate others

Awards and Honors

First Place

Winning Project
20000 Twenty thousand Omani riyals
  • Competition Cup Winner

Second Place

Runners-up Project
15000 Fifteen thousand Omani riyals
  • Competition Cup Runners-up

Third Place

Third Project
10000 Ten thousand Omani riyals
  • Competition Cup for Third place

Entry Options

This competition targets Omani youth specialized in the fields of architecture, design and urban planning. The age of the participant should not be more than 35 years, including job seekers and students who are passionate about the topic of the competition.

Individual participation

Individual participation

Omani youth who meet the conditions of participation can participate individually, by presenting a specific idea that a young man or woman will adopt and submit according to the requirements of the competition.

Collective participation

Collective participation

A group of young people can participate as a (team) with no more than three members, so that the participants can collectively submit their proposal bearing the names of the team members, while adhering to the same conditions stipulated in the competition.

Stages and Evaluation

Participation

From mid-January to 5 February 2022
Initial Concept
  • 3 posters explaining the idea
  • A3 size sheets for each poster
  • with clear representation of initial concept
  • Short concept description (max. 500 words)
  • Provide summaries of project ideas
  • The summary includes all technical details to illustrate the idea of the project
  • A summary of the added value
  • Participants submit their initial concept with proper drawings and illustrations
  • It is participants’ responsibility to make sure that their representations are successfully convey their concept

Second Delivery

Ends 27 February 2022
Top 10 projects only
  • 3 posters
  • A1 size sheets for each poster
  • With accurate technical representation and details
  • In real dimensional illustrations
  • Presentation of the project idea
  • Project owners interview

Final Submission

Ends 12 March 2022
Top 10 projects
  • 3 posters for the final project
  • A1 size sheets for each poster
  • With accurate technical representation and details
  • Project Animation Video
  • Submit high resolution sheets

Results

On 15 March 2022
Announcing the winning projects
  • Hold an event for the competition
  • Announcing the results
  • Announcing the winning projects
  • Honoring the participants
The target location is in the Wilayat of Muttrah, Al Mina District​

The proposed design area is around 7,500 sqm of land area between Muttrah Fish market and sea front.
The specific location of the landmark shall be proposed by the participating teams.

Design Scope

The aim of this competition is to invite designers and architects to propose creative landmark design that represents Oman’s journey from renaissance period to future vision. A landmark that improves the spatial value and enhances ‘place-making’ qualities of the area.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Artistic merits
  • Buildability
  • How well it represents Oman’s journey from renaissance period to future vision
  • Impact and relevance to the context in which it is installed
  • Environmental impact of the landmark

Terms and Conditions

  • 1. Participation is limited to young Omani professionals in the fields of architecture, design and urban planning who are under 35 years old.
  • 2. The participant should be familiar with the architectural design and presentation programs, and be able to deal with them to show and design the idea of his project.
  • 3. The participants must submit a summary of their project, not exceeding 500 words, including the most important technical and engineering details of the project.
  • 4. The idea of the proposed project must be creative, innovative and feasible in the environment of the Sultanate of Oman, and in line with the identity and values of the Omani society, in addition to its relevance to the nature and geography of the proposed location.
  • 5. The idea of the project should be clear in all its aspects and supported by illustrations.
  • 6. The participant must take into account the elements of sustainability in the project, with the need to focus on clean energy and build the idea and designs of the project to make it environmentally friendly.
  • 7. The participant must prepare the design with maximum creativity and fulfil all the requirements of the competition.
  • 8. Deliver all the required outputs or the work required during the course of all stages of the competition on time, providing that electronic soft copies are delivered in addition to the hard copies.
  • 9. The participant must submit the analytical diagrams of the general site, the design idea of the project, in addition to illustrations of the design in real dimensions.
  • 10. The participant must submit the presentation to the committee if it is one of the projects qualified for this stage, provided that it adheres to the agreed date.

Special Controls

  • The rights of the winning project revert to the Bilarab Bin Haitham Award for Architectural Design, and the Office has the absolute right to assign it or implement it in any way it deems appropriate.
  • The Award Office has the right to reject any project and withhold any award without giving reasons. It also has the right to postpone the competition, or stop it in any circumstance that calls for it.
  • If a participant plagiarizes the idea of a particular project or appropriates another person's idea; The Award Office will not bear any responsibility or legal liability in this matter, and may disqualify any participant who commits such abuse.
  • Each proposal or idea submitted is considered with specific preferential criteria that correspond to the nature of the proposal and the extent of its innovation and creativity.