oman reveals design of highest altitude destination at 2,400 meters on jabal al akhdar

a look at the Omani Mountain Destination by AtkinsRéalis

Oman reveals the design of the new $2.4bn Omani Mountain Destination sited on Jabal al Akhdar. Masterplanned by AtkinsRéalis in consultation with local communities, the project will be Oman’s highest altitude development at 2,400 meters, responding to both the existing landscape and ecology, as well as the area’s cultural heritage. It will include 2,527 homes and 2,000 hospitality rooms as part of hotels, as well as a purpose-built health and wellness village, The Vessel. The destination is expected to attract a residential population of more than 8,000 and an average of 2,350 overnight and 2,000 daily visitors. With its high altitude, residents and guests can expect a comfortable climate with an average yearly temperature of 22°C.

Focusing on social and environmental sustainability

With a significant focus on social and environmental sustainability, alongside its residential, retail, and hospitality offerings, the Omani Mountain Destination (OMD) by AtkinsRéalis (see more here) will include a biodiversity center for local and international R&D, dedicated health and wellness areas, a high-altitude sports training center, amphitheaters, museum, and parks and public spaces. The development will also host an escarpment walk in a remote, legally protected wilderness area known as a National Scenic Reserve, ensuring low light pollution and maintaining the destination’s Dark Sky Zone.

Furthermore, OMD will include the new Wadi Al Harbi Park, comprising a new bridge, farming and agrotourism, family recreation activities, mountain biking, and extreme sports facilities, including bungy jumping and rock climbing. It will also be serviced by a new cable car, and improvements to other transport infrastructure in the area, which are already underway, including a new access road from the north, allowing access for the two most populated governorates in the country, South and North al batinah.

The contextual design behind the Omani Mountain Destination is underpinned by AtkinsRéalis’ award-winning whole-lifecycle sustainability approach, ‘Seed’, focusing on environmental, cultural, and social wellbeing. The destination targets Net Zero Carbon in operation, 100% renewable energy, and a 40% reduction in embodied carbon, with 85% of the destination pedestrianized alongside the provision of extensive cycleways. It aims to preserve and enhance biodiversity, protecting existing 500-year-old native Juniper woodlands, Arabian Tahr, and other animal populations and ensuring more than 90% of new plantings are native species.

collaborating with local stakeholders

The Oman Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning (MoHUP) has engaged and collaborated with local stakeholders in the surrounding communities to canvas public opinion about the project. Results from these surveys are being used to ensure plans for the project meet community needs and growth plans. A key outcome of the project is ensuring local residents are given fair access to employment and economic opportunities throughout each project phase, including the 5,000 new jobs the project is forecast to create. To support this, legislative changes ensure the local Omani community can invest and buy land on the development, with 10% of the project area allocated exclusively for this purpose. 

OMD is a key part of the country’s Vision 2040 to achieve a developed, diversified, and sustainable national economy, with fair distribution of development gains and protection of natural resources. The nation is targeting $51bn in tourism investment by 2040, following a successful investment of $7.8bn between 2021-23. The country is pioneering a ‘cluster’ approach to tourism, providing a range of unique experiences with easy reach to enrich the diversity and quality of its tourism offerings. Oman aims to double tourism’s contribution to GDP to 5% by 2030 and again to 10% by 2040.

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project info:

name: Omani Mountain Destination (OMD) 

location: Jabal al Akhdar, Oman 

architect: AtkinsRéalis (here) | @inside_atkinsrealis