Al Duqm

Oman

Project details
Client

Special Economic Zone Authority Duqm (SEZAD)

Architect

Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM)

Duration

2012 – 2014

Services provided by Buro Happold

Coastal and maritime engineering, Energy consulting, Environmental consultancy, Infrastructure, Sustainability, Transport and mobility, Waste management, Water

Set to become Oman’s third city, Al Duqm will be a thriving, dynamic home for over 250,000 people.

The new city forms part of the Duqm Special Economic Zone, which will include a new seaport, business centre and tourist hub, as well as residential neighbourhoods, and will integrate the fishing villages that are located in the area.

A national park featuring the region’s rich archaeological and natural features, including ancient tombs and a rock garden with 45 million year old limestone and sandstone rock formations, are planned to be major visitor attractions.

Challenge

Creating a new city provides a wide scope of challenges, Buro Happold worked closely with SOM to develop a masterplan. A key element of the plan is to ensure that the design is sensitively integrated with the natural landscape, while incorporating excellent services and transport.

Solution

Our water engineers developed a water management strategy that retains the site’s natural features, taking advantage of the wadi’s natural drainage capabilities while also using the space to create stunning natural areas.

Our work also included Oman’s first integrated public transport plan, and alternative energy generation fields, which will enable solar or wind power, supporting the client’s vision of embedding renewable energy solutions into the heart of the city’s systems.

In order to bring all of these design elements together, a Geodatabase was prepared as an operational live tool to successfully manage all data for the project by a dedicated GIS team.

Al Duqm
Forging a new economic zone for a vibrant, sustainable community. Image: SOM

Value

Al Duqm will house the largest international business and tourist district in the Middle East, and play a key part in the economic growth of Oman. The development will be a gateway to Europe and Asia, and sets the standard for the future of sustainable urban planning and design.