The NatureCulture design adopts a grid layout inspired by the surrounding agricultural lands, featuring a formal arrangement with a hierarchy of shaded pedestrian pathways. A pioneering phytoremediation plant treats wastewater for irrigation and water features. This nature-based solution reduces operational costs, enhances sustainability, and supports the university’s mission to equip and inspire a new generation for a sustainable future.
The Batinah coast of Oman is a fertile area with agricultural fields, palm plantations and orchards. A landscape of abundance in contrast to the largely barren drylands of Arabia.
However, underground freshwater reserves have fallen as people have been using them increasingly for agriculture. The saltwater table has risen, leading to less fertile land.
NatureCulture’s design helps to conserve the underground freshwater watertable with an reed-bed water treatment plant to treat all of the university’s wastewater. The system uses the reed Phragmites australis to remove pollutants from the wastewater. The reed beds also create habitat for birds and complement the agricultural character of the surrounding landscape.
Mizan Consult undertook environmental engineering of the reed bed wastewater treatment system.
