Zaha Hadid Architects has designed a waterfront master plan for downtown Muscat in Oman. 

Under the plans, named the Al Khuwair development, the existing administrative and industrial areas will become an urban district with an expected population of 64,500.

The district will comprise five areas: a marina, a recreational waterfront with beaches and sports facilities, a canal walkway, a cultural quarter, and a Ministry campus. Residential areas will be incorporated throughout the master plan alongside arts, culture, and leisure facilities within mixed-use developments.

Building on Muscat’s history as a port city, the development will be anchored by the marina, which will include public green spaces along the waterfront and dining, retail, hotel, and residential developments. Elsewhere, buildings within the existing Ministry campus are expected to be retrofitted and reused through a program of refurbishments.

“Seamlessly integrated within the urban fabric of Muscat, Al Khuwair will create a bridge between the coastal landscapes of the Arabian Sea and the Hajar Mountains that surround the city,” said Paolo Zilli, Project Director and Associate Director at Zaha Hadid Architects, about the scheme. “The project is designed to connect local and international communities while embracing a sustainable vision for the future that honors Muscat’s heritage.”

Works are due to commence on-site at the end of 2024.

News of the development comes the same week that Zaha Hadid Architects was announced as designers for the refurbished Le Schuylkill Tower in Monaco. In February, the firm unveiled the design of the world’s first green hydrogen refueling network for recreational boating, while in January, ZHA collaborated with Holcim on a 3D printed concrete bridge.