Friday 21 / February / 2025
Manah, 20 Feb (ONA) --- HH Sayyid Bilarab bin Haitham Al Said presided over the launch of an initiative to revive ancient architecture at Oman Across Ages Museum in the Wilayat of Manah today. The ceremony was attended by Royal Family members, ministers, senior officials and experts in architectural design.
HH Sayyid Bilarab took note of the goals of the initiative, which include the following: Reviving the Omani architectural identity by enhancing awareness about the value of architectural design as a component of national identity; encouraging the community to explore Omani architecture and understand its cultural, social and economic impact; highlighting models of innovation established by Omani architects over the past centuries; identifying the methods that Omani architects used in design and construction with the aim of encouraging the use of those methods in a manner that enhances architectural heritage and generate successful models that integrate innovation with heritage; engaging different segments of society in dialogues and discussions about architectural design; promoting an environment that supports creativity and leadership and boosting an architect’s opportunities in the Omani labour market.
Then, he toured the pavilion dedicated to the “Bilarab Bin Haitham Award for Architectural Design” and viewed 3D models of projects that won first place in the 1st and 2nd editions of the Award. The pavilion also showcased the project that won the competition to design Oman’s pavilion at the forthcoming Expo 2025 Japan.
HH Sayyid Bilarab then watched a visual presentation about ongoing action, since the launch of the first edition of the Bilarab Bin Haitham Award for Architectural Design, until the launch of the Architecture Revival Initiative.
The visual presentation included the new structure, spearheaded by the Bilarab Bin Haitham Initiatives, which includes the Bilarab Bin Haitham Community, the Bilarab Bin Haitham Award for Architectural Design and the Bilarab Bin Haitham Programmes. This is in addition to the announcement of the date of the 3rd edition of the Bilarab Bin Haitham Award for Architectural Design, scheduled to be launched towards the end of 2025.
HH Sayyid Bilarab was briefed about the interactive experience of reviving three pillars of architecture—ongoing education, innovation and market readiness—which all serve to enhance conventional architecture and its revival in the Sultanate of Oman.
Ongoing education in the field of architecture focuses on architectural inspiration by reviewing prominent architectural experiences. Innovation highlights the techniques, methods and added value that is immortalized by the Omani architect and using the same for the restoration of old villages and neighbourhoods to transform them into sustainable tourist destinations that preserve the heritage, fit with the surrounding environment, support economic development and meet human needs.
Market readiness enables parties to fully understand the job market in the field of architecture and highlights awareness about the most prominent professional tracks related to architectural design. This will enhance the graduates’ readiness to enter the job market, discover available employment opportunities and establish communication networks between students, experts and business owners.
It is worth noting that the Architecture Revival Initiative is in pursuance of the first and second editions of the Bilarab Bin Haitham Award for Architectural Design, in addition the competition to design Oman Pavilion at Expo 2025 Japan. The competition seeks to enrich the architectural field in the Sultanate of Oman. The initiative targets various segments of society interested in architectural design, fanatics of architecture, experts and students studying this field.
