Royal Opera House Landscape Architecture

6.10.11 - WATG on track for Royal Opera House opening
designMENA

WATG has won the contract for the interior design of the Royal Opera House in Oman due to open in October, 2011.

The project was first announced in 2001 and, 10 years on, is progressing smoothly towards its targeted grand opening.

When complete, the opera house will be only the second of its kind in the Middle East and occupy an area of 80,000m², half of which will be set aside for landscaped gardens. It will also have a mini-theatre, restaurants and stores.

The only other opera house in the region is in Cairo, established in 1988.
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3.07.12 - Bravo, bravissimo!
Middle East Interiors

With its state-of-the-art sound management, ultra-smart LCDs and opulent interiors, there’s much to sing and dance over Oman’s plush new opera house, reports ABDULAZIZ KHATTAK  

A fusion of Omani tradition and modernity, having been conceived as a house for musical arts, the Royal Opera House Muscat was designed by WATG, whose portfolio includes prominent regional landmarks such as the King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia and Atlantis, The Palm hotel in Dubai, UAE.
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7.11.11 - Oman's Royal Opera House due to open in late 2011 ...
Hotelier Middle East

The Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman is scheduled for completion in late 2011, the Sultanate’s Ministry of Tourism has revealed.

Salem Al Mamari, director general of tourism promotions, said the Royal Opera House "will become an iconic building for Oman and a world-class venue for performing arts."

The building is designed by WATG and features a grand marble staircase, marble columns, and elaborately carved teak timber screens.
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5.10.11 - The host with the most
Digital Production Middle East

Royal Opera House, Muscat, Oman

A 1,100-seat opera house is taking shape in Muscat, Oman, with the palatial complex, designed in the same architectural style as its surrounding buildings, is scheduled to open in October 2011.

Covering 80,000 sq metres, half of which will consist of landscaped gardens, the complex will also include a smaller theatre, restaurants and luxury shops. International architectural firm Wimberly Allison Tong and Goo (WATG) won a design competition for the venue, from an initial concept drawn up by UK-based Theatre Projects Consultants.
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2.12.11 - Built for a song
Construction Week Online

With less than a year to its grand opening, the Royal Opera House in Muscat is only the second building of its kind in the Middle East.

The Royal Opera House in Muscat has turned a lot of heads since it was first announced in 2001, and ten years on, the project is progressing smoothly towards its targeted grand opening in October 2011.

Designed by WATG and commissioned by opera-loving Sultan Qaboos, the building imitates an Italian-style opera house in the surroundings of Muscat's diplomatic quarter, alongside such government buildings as the foreign ministry.
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3.08.11 - Omani Overture
Constructionweek Online

The Royal Opera House in Muscat has turned a lot of heads since it was first announced in 2001 and, 10 years on, the project is progressing smoothly towards its targeted grand opening in October 2011.

When complete, the opera house will be only the second of its kind in the Middle East and occupy an area of 80,000m², half of which will be set aside for landscaped gardens. It will also have a mini-theatre, restaurants and stores.
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12.22.10 - World Architecture 100: WATG #58
Building Design

Number one in the world for leisure, WATG is already working in 60 Countries and has no particular plans to add to that tally.

After a tough couple of years - it lost 60 in staff in the last year - it has had increasing interest from former Soviet Union countries and a "definitive push" from India, as well as renewed momentum from the Middle East. It expects to be designing more destinations at both ends of the scale: small, boutique hotels and large, complex mixed-use projects. In 2010 it has been working on a large-scale resort project in Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

This year it will complete hotels and resorts on six continents, including the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman; Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad, India; and Old Palace at Sahl Hasheesh, Egypt.

The company said: "After a challenging industry recession, there are positive signs that developers are once again going ahead with pre-planned projects."
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12.16.10 - Omani opera house plans revealed
Gig International Arts Manager

An 1,100-seat opera house is taking shape in Muscat, capital of Oman. The palatial complex, designed in the same architectural style as its surrounding buildings, is scheduled to open in October 2011.

WATG's concept balances ethnic Omani design elements with contemporary styles, using pure Omani motifs (such as colonnades, terraces and sculptural tower forms) in the exteriors and moving towards traditional Arabesque in the central parts of the opera house. No designs for the auditorium have yet been released, though it is known the design uses red and gold, symbolising royalty. The project was initiated by Sultan Qaboos, who is currently celebrating his 40th year as ruler of Oman.
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12.08.10 - Oman's opera-loving sultan makes vision reality
Zawya

Oman's music-loving Sultan Qaboos is building an Italian-style opera house, a temple dedicated to classical music that will be unique in the Arabian Peninsula.

"It is a truly 16th-century Italian opera," Iman Hindawi, general director of the Royal Opera House in Muscat, told AFP in an interview on the sidelines of celebrations marking the sultan's 40-year reign.

The initial concept for the project was drawn up by the Britain-based Theatre Projects Consultants, and the architectural firm chosen to turn the sultan's vision into reality was Wimberly Allison Tong and Goo.
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3.23.10 - House of Musicals Grand opera house coming up in Oman
eTurbo News

The Royal Opera House (earlier named House of Musicals) is a daring and visionary project initiated by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, ruler of Sultanate of Oman. It will bring together multiple strands of creativity and innovation in both architectural form and structural design.

A select group of international design consultants were invited by the Royal Court Affairs of Oman to compete for the design of the project in 2003, and after a number of competitive stages, WATG won the international design competition and were invited to lead the team for the design and supervision services, while the design of stage engineering, theatre equipments, sound and light was by TPC-UK.
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12.02.10 - The Central Bank of Oman issues new RO20 bank note
Times of Oman

The Central Bank of Oman (CBO) has issued a new commemorative banknote of RO20 denomination with effect from yesterday.

This new banknote will be in circulation as legal tender along with the existing banknotes, including the existing RO20 which shall continue to remain a legal tender, and circulate side by side with the new currency note.

The size of the new banknote is 166X76mm. It carries in the front the portrait of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, facsimile signature of His Majesty at the centre of the note and Water Mark Portrait of His Majesty.

At the back, it carries the name of CBO in English on top side of the note, denomination in English words at the bottom and in numbers on the left and the right side of the note, 40th National Day logo, 40th National Day text and the year of issue in English, the Royal Opera House (ROH) and the National Emblem (coat of arms) at the left side of the note.
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3.17.10 - Sense the Symphony at Oman's Royal Opera House
ASK Magazine

Based in Oman's capital Muscat, the Royal Opera House is a stunning fusion of contemporary architecture with local cultural architecture. Who's the culprit of this interesting love relationship between tradition and modernism? It is none other than WATG, a multinational architectural firm, who are extending their efforts in the Middle East to prove that extravagant architecture does not abide by culture or language.

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