Over the past few decades, while the capitals of other Gulf states welcomed a slew of skyscrapers in a bid to showcase their newfound, often oil-derived wealth, Muscat has resolutely charted its own course. That the Omani capital's skyline remains distinguished by the magnificent Hajar Mountains rather than soaring concrete towers is not for a lack of prosperity, but the result of deliberate policy, and a reflection of how its maritime history has given Oman a unique character compared to its desert-dominated neighbours. As intended by the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who ruled Oman from 1970-2020, Muscat's modern architecture honours the traditional Omani way of life. Most though not all - buildings are designed at human scale, with a light footprint and deferring to the natural landscape.
The seaside Al Alam Palace in Old Muscat is a case in point - dating back two centuries and rebuilt as a royal residence in 1972, it is low-key as far as palaces go, but notable for its joyful, postmodern take on Islamic architecture. Particularly memorable are the blue and gold columns on the central building, like upturned trumpets supporting the overhanging flat roof.
On the other end of the spectrum, and an antithesis to Al Alam, is the opulent Al Bustan Palace, commissioned for the 1985 Gulf Cooperation Council summit to host the sultan's fellow heads of state. The fortress-like sandstone structure on the outskirts of Muscat is capped with a golden dome, and contains a 38m-high atrium with a 5.5-tonne crystal chandelier. Today, only the top floor is reserved for the royal family and their guests: the rest of the building and its pristine grounds are run as a RitzCarlton hotel, offering luxurious if slightly cookie-cutter accommodation to well-heeled international visitors.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2022-Ausgabe von Wallpaper.
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Pas de Deux - Choreographer Wayne McGregor on turning a post-apocalyptic trilogy by Margaret Atwood into a three-act ballet in collaboration with composer Max Richter
Wayne McGregor is the master of creative collaborations. As resident choreographer at the Royal Ballet, a position he has held since 2006, he has translated an eclectic roster of literary, avant-garde and contemporary references into works for the stage, as well as taken the helm on film, TV, fashion and music videos projects, and founded his own London-based studio.
Waking Moments - Design makes a welcome return to the Dakar Biennale, sounding out a clarion call to Africa's new creative generation
After a 20-year hiatus, design returns to the Dakar Biennale this year and, for curator Ousmane Mbaye, it comes at a pivotal time. ‘My curatorial practice is based on three aspects,’ he says. ‘A desire to do a design inventory in Africa; to record the materials being used; and to present the current generation of designers in Africa and its diaspora, and see their visions realised.’
Blonde Ambition - A new iteration of Gucci's beloved 'Blondie' bag fuses effortless Seventies insouciance with crisp modernity
Recently reimagined by creative director Sabato De Sarno as part of his Cruise 2025 collection, Gucci’s ‘Blondie’ bag, first launched in 1971, centres around a rounded version of the brand’s historic interlocking-G symbol. Now one of fashion’s most recognisable motifs, it remains on De Sarno’s interpretation, which is designed to recall the original’s effortless insouciance and the heady, liberated spirit of the 1970s.
Role Models - Elmgreen & Dragset's subversive take on the classical form at Paris' Musée d'Orsay explores contemporary masculinities in a heteronormative world
As Elmgreen & Dragset, Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset bring a smart subversion to their large-scale installations. Over the last three decades, they have taken a sideways look at social and political systems by recontextualising mainstream motifs: works have included a full-scale replica of a Prada boutique in the Texan desert and a vast, vertical swimming pool, now installed in Hong Kong.
Flask Force - A limited-edition perfume collaboration between two Spanish craft masters says it with flowers
Loewe and Lladró are two brands with a lot in common. They're both Spanish, they're both born out of an obsessive desire to master a particular material (Loewe with leather and Lladró with porcelain), and they're both exemplars of luxury design. So it seems fitting, then, that the two maisons have finally come together for an exceptional collaboration, launching this autumn: a limited-edition run of porcelain flask toppers for three of Loewe Perfumes' classic scents.
Bloom Service - A flower-shaped brutalist beauty in Geneva gets a refresh
Tucked between the extensive campus of Geneva's University Hospital and a huddle of associated medical institutions, laboratories and surgeries, the Avenue de la Roseraie is trod by few casual visitors to the Swiss city. And yet here - out of sight in a small car park is an extraordinary structure that, situated elsewhere, would surely draw the attention of architectural students like bees to a nectar-rich flower. Horticulturalists, too, perhaps, for whom a building nicknamed La Tulipe might well incite curiosity.
Second Nature -A remodelled museum in Lisbon, by Kengo Kuma & Associates, meshes Japanese and Portuguese influences to create a space that sits in harmony with its surroundings
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation's complex in Lisbon has been one of the city's best-loved landmarks since it opened in the 1960s. The foundation aims to improve quality of life through art, charity, science and education, and its Lisbon campus encompasses a main office, library, scientific research centre and contemporary art museum, Centro de Arte Moderna (CAM), which reopens this month following an extensive four-year renovation by Japanese studio Kengo Kuma & Associates. Designed in collaboration with landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic, the update cleverly reconfigures the space and extends the foundation's gardens to craft a more cohesive relationship between the existing structures.
Cane and Able- Fusing traditional craftsmanship with contemporary vision, design studio Ibuku demonstrates the versatility of bamboo at a serene Bali villa
Over the last decade, Bali-based studio Ibuku, headed up by designer Elora Hardy, has become a leading expert in bamboo architecture, its output encompassing everything from a traditional Sumbanese house and a yoga and meditation space to playful treehouses and a riverside café at an eco-friendly jungle retreat in Ubud. In 2021, the studio completed The Arc sports hall at the Green School in Bali (founded by Elora's father, designer John Hardy). Made from a series of arches spanning an impressive 19m, it was a pioneering feat of bamboo engineering.
Guest Editor Marcio Kogan - Marcio Kogan has been prolific since setting up his namesake studio in São Paulo in 1978 (it was renamed Studio MK27 at the turn of the century).
Marcio Kogan has been prolific since setting up his namesake studio in São Paulo in 1978 (it was renamed Studio MK27 at the turn of the century). The 72-year-old architect has since become synonymous with contemporary Brazilian chic, offering a sumptuous blend of raw, textured materials; clean geometric forms; effortless functionality; vernacular design features; and a deep knowledge and appreciation of the rich, tropical modernist architecture legacy of his home country.
DREAM TEAM
A rewatching of a seminal film laid the foundation for JW Anderson's latest collection, a fantastical collaboration with artist Christiane Kubrick
