The market is located on the port largest in Oman and is a hub for shipping, fishing and cruise liners. Snohetta's design seeks to create a new landmark that is in keeping with the harbour city's rich history.
Situated at the heart of Muttrah, close to the city's original fish market, on Oman’s largest harbour, the new fish market by Snøhetta is a tribute to both the past and the future of Oman, providing a more contemporary facility for traders and tourists. The building is located close to the original fish market, built in 1960, and was created with a sweeping canopy made from angled aluminium fins helps to shade terraces and the concrete-walled halls of this fish market.
 
The architectural concept is inspired by the playful qualities of light and shadow through the shape of a double radial wall defining the spine of the new fish market.

The new 4,000 sqm facility comprises a series of indoor and outdoor spaces market marks a continuity of the region’s trade and fishing traditions, while also fulfilling Oman’s need to accommodate for the country’s growing tourism industry. Muttrah is located in the Muscat province on the coast of the Gulf of Oman, and was traditionally the Arab country's centre of commerce due to its important sea port.

When entering the fish market, visitors are immerged in a lively marketplace which offers more than 100 fish sellers and cutters, as well as a new market for vegetables and fruit. The new facility also offers refrigeration, packaging, and storage spaces alongside offices, coffee shops, and a rooftop restaurant.
 
The building's curving form is based on the natural sweep of the corniche and its double-walled structure appears to continue the curve of the bay.

"On street level, the new market enhances the public setting by forming a dynamically shaded canopy, organizing the spaces beneath it. The canopy’s form is derived from the sinuous flow of Arabic calligraphy. It follows the logic of a playful movement of light and shadow built from aluminum fins which provide shade, natural ventilation, and an ephemeral appearance. The complexity of the canopy roof contrasts the simple solidity of the concrete structure below it," said the architects.

 

Description of project by Snøhetta

West of Muscat, on the coast of Gulf of Oman, a new fish market has taken the stand as a new landmark on the waterfront along the lively corniche in Muttrah. The Snøhetta designed Muttrah Fish Market is created to serve as a focal point for the community of Muttrah, while simultaneously functioning as a hub for Oman’s thriving fishing industry.

Situated at the heart of Muttrah, on Oman’s largest harbor, the new fish market is a tribute to both the past and the future of Oman. The city of Muttrah is known for its long history of commercial trade, its characteristic port, and long-standing fishery traditions. Located close to the city’s original fish market, built in 1960, the new market marks a continuity of the region’s trade and fishing traditions, while also fulfilling Oman’s need to accommodate for the country’s growing tourism industry.

Merging tradition with innovation, the 4.000 square meter fish market is designed to sympathetically unite the old and the new. The generous space creates a public meeting space where local fishermen and worldly tourist from all over the world meet under the same roof.

Seen from afar, one can observe how the curved wall relates to the radial shape of the corniche and the wider bay area, interacting with the street by exposing the stairs from the roof terraces in the openings along the corniche. Referencing both the former waterfront and the continuation of the corniche, the fish market defines the boundaries of public space, interconnecting the city, the mountains, and the waterfront.

More information

Snøhetta is an integrated architecture, landscape, and interior design company based in Oslo, Norway, and New York City, formed in 1989 and led by principals Craig Dykers and Kjetil Thorsen. The firm, founded in 1989, which is named after one of Norway's highest mountain peaks, has approximately 100 staff members working on projects around the world. The practice pursues a collaborative, transdisciplinary approach, with people from multiple professions working together to explore diverse perspectives on each project.

Snøhetta has completed several critically acclaimed cultural projects, including the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt; the National Opera and Ballet in Oslo, Norway; and the Lillehammer Art Museum in Norway. Current projects include the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center site in New York.

In 2004 Snøhetta received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and in 2009 the firm was honored with the Mies van der Rohe Award. Snøhetta is the only company to have twice won the World Architecture Award for best cultural building, in 2002 for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and in 2008 for the National Opera and Ballet in Oslo.

Snøhetta

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Published on: January 2, 2018
Cite: "Muttrah Fish Market is completed by Snøhetta" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/muttrah-fish-market-completed-snohetta> ISSN 1139-6415
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