MUSCAT -- The Forum on Omani-French workshop on Green Architecture and Eco-Tourism opened yesterday under the joint auspices of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture and the French Embassy in Oman. The event has been organised in close co-operation with the Oman Society of Engineers. A large number of Omani and French experts are taking part in the two-day event, which is aimed at strengthening sustainable development issues with special focus on green architecture and eco-tourism.
Addressing the gathering French Ambassador to the Sultanate, Malika Berak hailed Oman's concern for environment and love for eco tourism. "France is deeply engaged in environment protection and the Sultanate of Oman has shown a strong interest in sustainable development issues during the last decades. This has made the country a regional model in environment protection." "The event will prove to be an opportunity for both the countries to enhance exchanges and bilateral co-operation as major architecture agencies with good number of experts from France are taking part in the workshop," she said.
The highlights of the first day session were speeches and presentations by experts, agencies, architectures, designers and service providers working in fields of environment and eco-tourism. Saif bin Subba bin Rashid al Rashidy, Director-General of Information and External Relations, Muscat Municipality, laid emphasis on the civic agency's role in providing the best possible amenities to the citizens and residents of Muscat.
"In order to realise our goals, Sultan bin Hamdoon al Harthy, Chairman of Muscat Municipality, an architect from University of Arizona, is following the footsteps of famous German architect, Walter Adolph Georg Groplus, who believes that architecture begins where engineering ends." Other speakers at the first session of the workshop were Dominique Alba, Director of Pavillion de l'arsenal and Jacqueline Osty, Landscaper at Ateliers Jacqueline Osty who drew a parallel between Oman and France in the fields of architecture and eco-tourism and suggested some ways to get rid of modern day problem of traffic snarls.
They also suggested to develop more and more green areas and eco-friendly houses to reduce dependence on energy and cut carbon emission. The event targets the academic, tourism and architectural circles of the Sultanate with the aim of enhancing the exchanges and co-operation between the countries in this field. The idea is to address tourism and architecture issues by keeping environment in the centre of the discussion.
The event is sponsored by Omran, BRM, Pavillion de I'Arsenal, Muriya and Air France. Other participants at the event include ministries of tourism and environment and climate affairs, The Research Council (TRC), Sultan Qaboos University, Environment Society of Oman and Nizwa University. Among the French agencies and participants are: Architecture Studio Agency, Aline Asmar d'Amman, Elioth, Jacques Ferrier Agency, G-Studio Agency, Moatti and Riviere Agency, Plan O1 Agency, X-Tu Agency, Ateliers Jacqueline Osty and Pierre-Parc Renaudeau, Historian and academic teacher at Ecole Polytechnique.
By Kaushalendra Singh
© Oman Daily Observer 2010
