Thuraya City Phase III: A landscape-led proposal built on Oman's identity

The Thuraya City Phase III competition, held in Muscat, invited leading international practices to imagine a new framework for urban development in Oman. Among the participants were BIG, Zaha Hadid Architects, Herzog & de Meuron, MVRDV and UHA, with BIG taking first place.

LAND, together with Entropic and NJP Oman, secured second place at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) with A’Thuraya, a proposal rooted in the landscape, ecology and cultural identity of the country. Rather than imposing a new identity on the site, the project builds on what is already there, translating the qualities of Oman’s natural and cultural landscape into a contemporary vision for development.

The path to this result started in May at Oman Design & Build Week, an important opportunity for dialogue and exchange. The conversations that took place there led to an invitation to contribute to the A’Thuraya City Phase III Extension.

At the heart of A’Thuraya is a constellation of villages, each shaped by the landscape and environmental conditions of its context. Wadi Village, for example, follows the presence of water, shade and cultivation, while Farm City reconnects everyday life with productive landscapes. Each place has its own character, and together they form a wider territorial vision.

LAND brought a landscape perspective to the team, within an integrated approach where Nature, ecology and urban development are considered as interconnected systems. The proposal explores how new communities can grow from the characteristics of their surroundings, with landscape as the common ground for different forms of living, working and social interaction.

The result marks an important achievement for the collaboration between LAND, Entropic and NJP Oman, and for a shared landscape-led vision for the future of Muscat. The Ministry of Housing & Urban Planning team has also indicated the possibility of further opportunities following the competition, with us looking forward to contributing to Oman’s future development.

Congratulations to BIG on the first-place result, and to all the teams involved in this international competition.

See more about the project here.