Training facility opens at Sharqiya Sands

Designed by Muscat-based architects 23 Degrees North, the iconic centre makes substantial use of solar energy, treats and re-uses all water on site and has already been nominated for and received several design awards.

Located within the are equipment stores, centre two indoor training rooms, sleeping accommodation for 60 people, four learning pods, a majlis, prayer rooms and a lecture theatre.

In addition to working with young people in schools and colleges throughout the Sultanate, OBO also provides bespoke training courses for the emerging talent and leadership teams of leading companies and institutions in Oman with the aim of making the Sultanate a global hub for arid environment research.

The Sharqiya desert has been at the heart of the scientific research community since a three-year expedition in the mid-1980s, undertaken by the Royal Geographical Society in London.

The expedition documented the diversity of the terrain, and the fauna, noting nearly 16,000 species of invertebrates as well as 200 species of other wildlife. They also documented 150 species of native flora.

Apart from developing talents within the private sector, the centre will be heavily used by groups of young Omanis developing key skillsets, behaviours and toolkits to enable them to successfully enter the world of work.