The brief was to combine embassy and ambassador’s residence on one plot, having previously been sited separately. The iconic design combines stringent contemporary German and traditional Omani elements, along with low-tech approaches to sustainability. The embassy building is visually lifted up from the ground, only touching down at access areas. Mashrabiyas offer privacy, natural ventilation and sunlight filtering. Protruding vertical bands on the main façades, varying in depth according to their orientation, provide further self-shading. Hard landscaping is in local materials. Soft landscaping - referring to green Omani wadis (oasis-like valleys) - ensures absorption of even the heaviest rainwater. Local natural stone slabs surround water features that recall the Omani falaj system - channels used for millennia to transport water from the mountains.
Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture