Asian Beach Games, Oman

We were commissioned to develop a masterplan for the 2010 Asian Beach Games, held in Muscat, Oman. The Asian Beach Games are organised by the Asian Olympic Committee and are the biannual event for beach sports such as volleyball, handball and kabbadi as well as a range of watersports. Our commision is to prepare a conceptual masterplan for the site for the games to the north of the city of Muscat. The masterplan illustrates the layout of the sports facilities, competitors village, hotels, games support facilities and associated

infrastructure. The centrepiece of the masterplan is a new harbour created to accommodate the water sports crafts around which are located the new hotels, cafes, restaurants and a public boulevard which will host the opening and closing ceremonies and medal presentations. The masterplan accommodates environmental protection measures to safeguard the sensitive dune system and a seasonal ‘khwar’ feature which is prone to occasional flooding during periods of heavy rainfall. The scheme also includes an area of date palms which will be transplanted from adjacent areas subject to rising salt water levels. The masterplan has been prepared with the legacy after use of the site in mind so that the infrastructure installed as part of the games can be reused after the beach games are complete.