Mutrah Fishmarket, Muscat Building Project News, Contemporary Omani Architecture Images
Mutrah Fishmarket Muscat
Architectural Development in Oman, Middle East building design by Snøhetta architects
25 Apr 2019
Mutrah Fish Market shortlisted for 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture
This Oman building designed by Norwegian architects Snøhetta is one of the 20 shortlisted projects for the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, competing for US$ 1 million in prize money.
Mutrah Fish Market shortlisted for 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture
2 Jan 2018 + 18 Feb 2010
Mutrah Fish Market
Architect: Snøhetta
Location: Muscat, Oman
Snøhetta Completes the Muttrah Fish Market
West of Muscat, on the coast of Gulf of Oman, a new fish market has taken the stand as a new landmark on the waterfront along the lively corniche in Muttrah. The Snøhetta-designed Muttrah Fish Market is created to serve as a focal point for the community of Muttrah, while simultaneously functioning as a hub for Oman’s thriving fishing industry.
Situated at the heart of Muttrah, on Oman’s largest harbor, the new fish market is a tribute to both the past and the future of Oman.
The city of Muttrah is known for its long history of commercial trade, its characteristic port, and long-standing fishery traditions.
Located close to the city’s original fish market, built in 1960, the new market marks a continuity of the region’s trade and fishing traditions, while also fulfilling Oman’s need to accommodate for the country’s growing tourism industry.
Merging tradition with innovation, the 4.000 square meter fish market is designed to sympathetically unite the old and the new.
The generous space creates a public meeting space where local fishermen and worldly tourist from all over the world meet under the same roof.
The architectural concept is inspired by the playful qualities of light and shadow through the shape of a double radial wall defining the spine of the new fish market.
Seen from afar, one can observe how the curved wall relates to the radial shape of the corniche and the wider bay area, interacting with the street by exposing the stairs from the roof terraces in the openings along the corniche.
Referencing both the former waterfront and the continuation of the corniche, the fish market defines the boundaries of public space, interconnecting the city, the mountains, and the waterfront.
On street level, the new market enhances the public setting by forming a dynamically shaded canopy, organizing the spaces beneath it.
The canopy’s form is derived from the sinuous flow of Arabic calligraphy. It follows the logic of a playful movement of light and shadow built from aluminum fins which provide shade, natural ventilation, and an ephemeral appearance. The complexity of the canopy roof contrasts the simple solidity of the concrete structure below it.
When entering the fish market, visitors are immerged in a lively marketplace which offers more than 100 fish sellers and cutters, as well as a new market for vegetables and fruit.
The new facility also offers refrigeration, packaging, and storage spaces alongside offices, coffee shops, and a rooftop restaurant.
Photography © Firas Al Raisi, Luminosity Productions
The fish market is at the heart of Mutrah, and is essential not only for the continuation of historical trading traditions but also for the needs of the growing tourism industry.
The radial shape of Mutrah’s characteristic bay shows a clear relationship between the city, the mountains and the waterfront. The radial nature of the bay is emphasized in the form of the new fish market, which references both the former waterfront and the continuation of the cornice.
This is further emphasized in the curved wall that defines the northern spine of the new fish market in Mutrah. The wall is suggested to be constructed as a rammed earth structure; sustainable, traditional, and refined.
The new market enhances the public setting by forming a dynamic shaded canopy, organizing the spaces beneath, both visually and environmentally. The canopy’s form is derived from the sinuous flow of Arabic calligraphy. The canopy is a playful movement of light and shadow built from aluminum fins, providing shade, natural ventilation, and an ephemeral appearance.
The new fish market will provide the city with a strong focal point, layering local activities, the fishing industry and tourism in Mutrah, sympathetically uniting the old and new. The design introduces a new landmark on the waterfront along the lively corniche in Mutrah.
Mutrah Fishmarket – Building Information
Project: Mutrah Fish Market
Location: Mutrah, Muscat, Oman
Architects: Snøhetta
Typology: Fish market
Mutrah Fishmarket in Muscat, Oman images / information from Snøhetta
Snohetta Architects, Oslo, Norway
Location: Muscat, Oman, the Middle East, western Asia
Oman Architecture
Contemporary Omani Architectural Projects Selection
Al Madina Al Zarqa – The Blue City, Muscat
Architects: Foster + Partners
Blue City Muscat
Yiti Resort & Spa Yiti
Design: RMJM Architects
Oman Resort Design : Developer: Sama Dubai
Comments / photos for the Mutrah Fishmarket, Muscat Oman Architecture design by Snøhetta architects, Oslo, Norway, page welcome
