Qurum Beach
The Qurum beach and it’s main street known as The Love Road, occupies a unique location nestled between the natural resort of the mangroves and the beach of Qurum. VMX Architects’ masterplan for the area incorporates a public space that connects the two areas, creating a welcoming environment that enhances people’s enjoyment of nature and provides ample space for families to engage in movement and sports.
By prioritizing the connection between people and nature, the street and cars are seen as guests rather than interrupters of the public space. Through small yet significant interventions, this connection can be transformed into a major public space that adds significant value to the community and nature.
VMX Architects’ Qurm street masterplan prioritizes people and nature to create a functional and visually appealing space for the community, setting an example for future urban development.
JUST A CONNECTION
The current state of the beach road leaves much to be desired. Rather than serving as a public space, it is dominated by the street itself and the countless parked cars that line the way. This separation creates a disconnect between the cafes and the beach itself, which should be the main attraction.
A lack of shaded areas and space to move or play can make it difficult for people to enjoy the outdoors, especially during hot summer months. Furthermore, the lack of green spaces has a significant impact on the health and well-being. Without these areas, people miss out on the physical and mental health benefits of spending time in nature. To address these challenges, we need to prioritize the creation of more safe and shaded outdoor spaces that are accessible to all.
Picnic under the shade of a bridge
MORE THAN A CONNECTION
The design approach taken by VMX Architects offers a promising solution for connecting restaurants and cafes to the beach while improving safety for pedestrians and reducing the speed of cars. By shifting the road to a location behind the existing businesses, the design creates a new, car-free public space that can be used by residents and visitors alike. This intervention is both cost-effective and efficient, as it doesn't require significant changes to the existing infrastructure like bridges. Furthermore, the creation of new public spaces and green areas helps to improve the quality of the beach promote healthy living. As we work to address the challenges of urbanization and climate change, design solutions like this are essential to creating more livable, sustainable cities that prioritize the needs of people over cars.
LOCATION
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
CLIENT
Municipality of Muscat
YEAR
2023, On going
PROGRAM
Public space, landscape
TEAM VMX
Don Murphy, Shaya Fallahi, Conor Murphy, Tadhg Arrigan, Maarten Kempenaar, Julia Landreau, Andrea Cocinelli
COLLABORATORS
Direct Construct Muscat
IMAGES
VMX Architects
