Scitech TV - Houses

Scitech TV documents the research project sponsored by the Research Council Oman "Towards Sustainable Patterns of Urbanisation in Oman" conducted by GUtech and SQU, featuring Aurel von Richthofen and Haitham Al Busafi as well as GUtech students.

The team of Scitech TV follows the researchers through the suburbs of Muscat Capital Area to the neighborhoods of Fanja and Al Khoudh, where four phases of urbanisation from 1970 to present can be traced.

Making of SciTech TV movie on urbanism in Muscat

Baumeister Journal: Oman - the Anti-Dubai?

Aurel writes about urbanisation trends and sustainability in Oman in Germany's oldest architecture magazine - Baumeister. The conservative development in Muscat is seen in contrast to fast paced Dubai. The specificities of urban sprawl, land allocation system, destruction of landscape are descrtibed as well as typical modern villas and sub-urban settlement patterns. The article concludes with a manifesto for sustainable urbanism adapted to Oman.

Urban Oman Research

The research project “Towards Sustainable Patterns of Urbanization” founded by The Research Council Oman (TRC) has lead to various collaborations with other international academic institutions. As co-investigator on the project in Oman, I have been coordinating these exchanges and channeling them into significant contributions to the larger research project while providing the students with academic frame-work, access and exposure.

Winterschool Middle East

Aurel was invited to speak about the urban development of Muscat Capital Area at the Winterschool Middle East by Zahra Ali Baba and Markus Miessen in Kuwait City. GUtech's Department of Urban Planning and Architecture participated with two students attending in January 2011.

Compact City Oman

Compact city is a design for a sustainable neighborhood in Al Khoudh within the larger Muscat Capital Area based on cultural, climatic and economic criteria of sustainability. This model – both a research method to evaluate, interpret and integrate specific criteria of sustainability as well as a design proposal for a sustainable neighborhood - exemplifies an integrated approach to urbanism adapted to the local Omani conditions.

ISU, Braunschweig

Aurel von Richthofen speaks on the topic of Urbanisation Patterns at the Gulf of Arabia. Guest lecture at the Institute for Sustainable Urbanism [ISU] in Braunschweig, Dec. 2012, lecture in German.

SEMANTIC URBAN ELEMENTS

The research project Semantic Urban Elements explores new computational methods to harness urban knowledge graphs and semantic urban design.