MUSCAT: Under the auspices of His Excellency Sayyid Ibrahim bin Said Al Busaidi, the Governor of Musandam, the award ceremony for the winners of the innovative design competition for Bukha Beach Park in Governorate of Musandam was held. Organised by OQ in cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation the event saw His Excellency hand out awards to three winners who were selected by a specialised evaluation committee. The competition was for university & college students to submit innovative design concepts for Bukha Beach Park where 30 contestants competed, and three winners were selected.

His Excellency appreciated OQ’s efforts in promoting sustainable development within the Governorate of Musandam via its social investment program, which implements many projects & initiatives in several Willayats of the Governorate. Under the memorandum of understanding signed between the Governor’s office and OQ, the planned projects and parks will have a significant impact on the local community and will provide several services and aesthetics that maximise added values. He also commended the idea of the competition for Bukha Beach Park that will motivate students to create and develop in the field of architectural design. He went on to add that the six designs that qualified for the competition were impressive, feasible, and reflect innovation in design and employed natural elements well.

Ashraf bin Hamad Al Maamari, CEO of HR, Technology and Work Culture at OQ Group, said, “We are pleased with the outcome of this cooperation that provided ample opportunities for the competing students to showcase their creativity in designing a vital and important service project in the Wilayat of Bukha, and the winning team will have the possibility to continue working on implementing the design idea for the project in cooperation with a specialized engineering office. This will further hone the skills of the winning team and enhance their mark on the project. We appreciate the distinguished partnership with the Musandam Governor’s Office, the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation and the Musandam Municipality.”

“The role played by the OQ in Musandam Governorate is to ensure implementation of many projects and initiatives within our social investment program, which embodies our social responsibility that contributes to providing additional services that enhance the development efforts of the government and provide more services to local communities”, he added. Al Maamari also noted that such competitions contribute to motivating students to innovate and excel at designing and stated that the designs that impressed the judges will benefit the OQ in building the park. 

The contestants expressed their appreciation to OQ and thanked the group for giving them the opportunity to participate in the competition. This has allowed them to refine their abilities and capabilities and apply academic theoretical properties in practical aspects. They went on to indicate that their participation in the content gave them more confidence in such work and gave them motivation to develop similar designs and participate in public projects.