Qurum PARK

A NEW VISION FOR QURUM

VMX Architects’ plan for Qurum Park in Muscat aims to upgrade the oldest and most important park in the city while promoting sustainability and providing value for the community. Qurum Park is connected to the natural resources of the the nature reserve, which is home to one of the largest mangrove forests in the Gulf of Oman. It is already the greenest park in Muscat, offering recreational spaces for movement and sports as well as public events.

The new masterplan proposes a major upgrade to the park, with a focus on creating more space for greenery and allowing the wadi and mangroves to grow within the city in a natural and sustainable way. This plan is financed by a new mixed-use development around the park, which will generate significant value and provide feasibility and resiliency to the masterplan.

With this plan, the Qurum Park is set to become a model for sustainable urban development, much like the Central Park in Manhattan. The community will benefit from a greener and more functional public space, while the surrounding area will experience new and valuable development.

NATURE, ACCESS, MODERNITY

NATURE
Enhance accessible green spaces and protected wetlands for a richer natural environment. Foster education and experiences that deepen cultural appreciation and conservation.

ACCESS
Ensure ease of movement, inclusivity, and connection by integrating the park with Muscat through gateways and accessible paths. Transition from surface parking to future-ready mobility options.

MODERNITY
Promote sustainable redevelopment in brownfield areas, achieving impact with minimal intervention. Diversify sports and facilities, and introduce year-round commercial spaces to support events.

KEY STRATEGIES OF INTERVENTION

TRADING SPACES

The extension of nature is an important strategy that repurposes existing space and creates approximately 75 000 square meters of re-wilded natural landscapes. The careful curation of urban infrastructure will be tactically placed in a way that creates diverse and multifunctional spaces and activates the landscape.

BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER

The strategies of intervention combat the problems in the existing area. These problems emerge from the four distinct and disconnected areas, unloved and poorly maintained fringe zones. The strategies of intervention include the introduction of a perimeter pathway that creates a network of paths which connect all the separated zones in the area, as well as the creation of new connections outside of the park boundary.

GREATER DEFINITION

The existing park suffers a lot from spaces that are ill defined, or forgotten. We move to intervene in each corner of the park, creating defined purpose, or absence, but vagueness is eradicated. In that way we create villages in each corner of Qurum that are connected to are reinforce the whole.

AREAS OF INTERVENTION

QURUM BEACH

VMX Architects recently provided a masterplan for Qurum Beach, which considers the connection between the beach, transportation infrastructure and the surrounding nature reserve. The priority is to shift the beach road from a highway to a park, focussing on connecting people and nature, rather than vehicles. Through this proposal, the street and cars become guests in the public space rather than the defining feature. The intention of the redevelopment is to create a public space that welcomes communities into the areas and encourages people to enjoy the nature, beach and lifestyle activities such as movement and sports. Key features in the Qurum Beach area are the viewing towers, the Visitors Centre, sporting facilities, ample parking structures and pathway connections to the beach and reserve.

QURUM NATURE RESERVE

Qurum Nature Reserve is home to a vast and diverse range of flora and fauna, and the guardian of one of the largest natural mangrove forest in the Gulf of Oman. The intention is to approach the nature reserve with relative sensitivity and to offer minimal intervention within the flora and fauna of the reserve, whilst still providing the necessary infrastructure to create an accessible nature reserve. The key features of the reserve include a network of paths with a central pathway which sensitively defines and limits routing, a perimeter orbital path and an immersive mangrove walk. Additionally, the intention of the design is to create in-reserve places for people such as an eco resort, water sports facilities, a bird watching hide, rest points and view points.

QURUM PARK

The new vision for Qurum Park will feature an extensive mix of new active spaces. There will be sporting facilities for athletics, soccer, cricket, volleyball, tennis, basketball and a commercial sports centre. One of the most popular features of the existing park is the fun and play structures for children. VMX Architects’ proposal expands on this existing offer by adding more fun and play spaces for children, teenagers and even adults. Key features of the new park are the events spaces, the performance spaces, splash areas, a boating lake and sensory gardens.

QURUM TERRACE GARDENS

Qurum terrace gardens are four new low rise commercial buildings which sit on the edge of the park, providing a barrier between the highway and the park. These buildings create amenity space, sound attenuation, incredible views and unique architectural experiences.

AL QURUM NEIGHBOURHOODS

Al Qurum is an incomplete Urban District which offers potential for a high quality mixed use development zone. The district boasts urban living with nature on its’ doorstep, as well as the inclusion of a green spine that borders the district’s large main road. The residential buildings are elevated by spacious central gardens and an activated commercial plinth. The neighbourhoods extend to Al Qurum Heights which includes commercial buildings, a Children’s Educational Museum ensemble and a green walking route.

THE FUTURE OF QURUM

VMX Architects’ masterplan proposal for a new, reimagined Qurum aims to achieve accessibility, modernity and nature by creation of 75 000 m2 of new wild planting, a 7.5km orbital path, an immersive pathway through the reserve, pedestrian space on the beach road and six new districts with approximately 350 000 m2 of land above ground.