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Purpose: Through a project of cooperation between the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT) and Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), a team including faculty members, technicians and students from the SQU department of civil and architectural engineering (CAE), was involved in the project of documentation, survey and the development of management plans of four (4) Omani Vernacular settlements (Harat). Such an experience was meant to initiate students from different levels in undergraduate programs of civil and architectural engineering to the fieldwork and professional practice in the field of built heritage studies. The present research aims to explore the effect of such an experience on the learning process and skills acquired by the involved students.Design/methodology/approach: The research was undertaken with students of CAE undergraduate programs at SQU. The documentation method has been implemented in 4 different settlements with the same students. A questionnaire has been administered to the participating students after their graduation to collect their feedback regarding the benefits of this experience on their education and skills development. The data was complemented by active observation and semi-directive interviews with some students randomly selected among the respondents to the questionnaire.Findings: The outcome of each documentation campaign as well as the results of the questionnaires administered revealed that this experience has raised students' awareness about the importance of studying the built heritage and safeguarding it. The research has shown that important soft skills, such as team-working, leadership and communication, have been consolidated. It has also revealed that this experience was an opportunity for students to discover the variety of options within the profession of architecture and its intellectual and ethical responsibilities. Such aspects are hardly grasped when taught within a “classical” teaching/learning setting.Research limitations/implications: The main limitations of this research were the hard working conditions during the summer in Oman and the direct interaction of the students with the buildings. Even cautious, such interaction represents a risk for an already fragile heritage.Practical implications: The paper includes a detailed description of the architectural documentation tools and methods used in the case studies. These tools and methods can easily be applicable, with slight adaptations, in other architectural documentation projects involving undergraduate students. The documentation methodology and the generated corpus of 3D digital models can be used in other documentation projects and further studies such as architectural typologies, bioclimatic properties, natural ventilation patterns, daylight performance, etc.Originality/value: This paper reports on the outcomes of the first experience of its kind in Oman and the Gulf region, where undergraduate students (predominantly females) were involved in an interdisciplinary project for the documentation of important vernacular settlements and their buildings. The added value of this research is that its methodology can be a reference for professors of Architecture and related specialties aiming to integrate research and field work with education.

Once abandoned for more than three decades, vernacular settlements in Oman are now being progressively reinvested in to foster the country’s heritage tourism sector. The present research focuses on the emerging phenomenon of community-led initiatives for vernacular heritage rehabilitation and adaptive reuse in Oman. Through an examination of three case studies, its aim is to describe this process and its modes of action and discuss its effects on vernacular settlement transformations. A mixed research methodology was designed to include (A) analyses of relevant primary and secondary data, (B) documented onsite observations, (C) interviews with local community representatives and key players in the operations of rehabilitation, and (D) extractions and analyses of quantitative data from a hotel booking website.The research sheds light on unsuspected interrelations within and between the projects being implemented in these settlements and their operating modes. It reveals the focal role of a local community in a kind of ‘bottom-up’ management of its built heritage, coupled with a ‘horizontal cooperation’ between the three initiatives studied in this research. Moreover, it shows that a heavily centralised and top-down policy for the field of heritage conservation and management is among the main obstacles that hinder such initiatives. Furthermore, community-led operations of vernacular heritage rehabilitation are being undertaken under insufficient regulations in terms of land use, building restoration and adaptive reuse. In this context, the paper discusses some of the serious threats and concerns faced by such initiatives and proposes actionable solutions to mitigate these hindrances.

The use of various mineral admixtures, natural or artificial pozzolan as well as any alternative construction material that could partially or fully replace the conventional Portland cement concrete/mortar with quite similar or even improved performances is receiving nowadays more attention and highly encouraging practice. Back to nature and to ancient and traditional materials that are locally available is not a new vision but it is a strategy largely accepted and adopted to lower the environmental impact of construction sector. Using some locally available materials such as natural pozzolana may require an additional activation process such a calcination at relatively high temperature or a chemical activation by some known activators. Sarooj (SRJ) is a popular name given to a locally produced traditional or artificial pozzolana that has been extensively used as traditional construction material in several countries such Oman and some neighbouring countries like Iran. In modern days however; the usage of Sarooj material is limited to the plastering work and restoration of ancient castles and forts. Sarooj has large variety of chemical composition depending on the location from where it has been extracted and thus, the reactivity and the resulted mechanical performances vary to a large extent. This paper investigates the chemical and physical properties of a sample of Sarooj traditionally prepared and extracted from Wadi AL-Mawal region. The chemical analysis and XRD results indicate a great reactivity potential of this material if properly treated and designed. The traditional heat treatment applied seems to be not the appropriate way to reach the full activation of this clayey material. Although traditionally designed, the results of thermal conductivity showed a net decrease compared to normal Portland cement mortar. Combining the use of a locally produced material with an enhanced engineering properties could further promote sustainability in construction industry.