In response to Muscat’s booming population and tourism industry, Zaha Hadid Architects’s design for the transformative Al Khuwair Downtown and Waterfront Development aims to revitalise a 3.3-million-sq-m area in Muscat’s northern district, creating a vibrant new urban centre with a focus on sustainability and resident well-being.

Elaborating on aspects of the design, ZHA Associate Director Paolo Zilli, tells Gulf Construction: “The canal carved into the land – creating the reclaimed peninsula – forms a water ring along the coast. The ZHA team refers to this loop as ‘the ring of unity’, which celebrates three significant conjunctions materialising in this part of Muscat. Symbolically, it represents the union between the two distinct and opposite natures of Oman – the alpine and the maritime – both physically present in the area. Additionally, thanks to the Ministerial Campus, it signifies the bond between the government and the Omani population. Furthermore, (the presence of the) Embassy compound embodies Omani hospitality toward the international community. The overall masterplan’s design, seamlessly woven into the existing city fabric, serves as a link connecting the city to its environment, with sustainability at its core.”