Bilarab Award qualifiers visit museums in France and UK

MUSCAT: The qualifiers for the final stage of the Bilarab Bin Haitham Award for Architectural Design concluded trips to the French Republic and the United Kingdom.

The trips come at the initiative of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism which oversees the implementation of the winning project to design the Museum of Maritime History in the Wilayat of Sur.

The participants started their trip by visiting the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations in the French city of Marseille where they were briefed on the architectural and construction aspects of the museum which embodies the civilisations of Europe and the Mediterranean countries throughout different historical periods.

It is distinguished by its unique view of the Mediterranean Sea.

In their second stop they visited the National Maritime Museum (NMM) in Greenwich, London, one of the oldest and most famous museums in the UK which was opened in 1937.

It showcases the maritime history of the UK and the whole world with over 2 million exhibits on display that represent maritime navigation history during the 17th century.

The participants were keen and determined to make the most of the trip by visiting museums and other buildings characterised by diverse architectural styles.

They visited the Victoria and Albert Museum, one of the world’s leading museums in art and design which has more than 2.8 million pieces on display including books and archives representing various civilisations. The museum represents an enrichment for those interested in architecture due to its distinctive design.

The participants’ passion for architecture motivated them to study and analyse some architectural designs to hone their designing skills and knowledge.

The participants expressed their happiness over these trips which enriched their knowledge and enhanced their architectural skills in the field of museum designing.

They extended their thanks and appreciation to the Bilarab Bin Haitham Award for Architectural Design and the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism for providing them this opportunity, stressing that they will make maximum benefit from it in developing their projects with some of the ideas that they learned during the visit, especially since the museums have many things in common with the Maritime History Museum project in the Wilayat of Sur in terms of idea and content.