Oman concert hall was designed as a competition entry in 2003. The proposal investigated the realization of the “unfolding”. As a manifestation of regeneration of forms. When the unfolding happens, it translates / embodies a new state. As, The beetle or the sail, a new pattern appears when both transform from their folded form to the unfolding. When they both unfold, they expand their existence while preserving their essence elements. These movements are a translation of the movement of a musical symphony in a physical form. Abdelhalim saw that music and architecture share the same method of composing, organizing elements in harmony with each other to produce a beautiful symphony or a building. The site was in the middle between the sea shore and the city, a challenging place where it would play a role in introducing the capital’s skyline when looked at from the city side. The unfolding is manifested in the sail element in the designed proposal. Where its movement announces an event and as well as emphasizing the existence of a new cultural node in the Omani skyline. The sail had a function of producing cooled air in the heated Omani’s capital. Imitating the traditional cooling methods used in traditional architecture. As the concept of unfolding reveals a new pattern and visual presence, a look was taken at the snails and their movement and how this movement is rebirthed from the within. The main building contains the theater that took the shape of a circular form as a notion of the unfolding on a 2-dimensional scale.
