A brief resume of a major study conducted in 1973 identifies the extent to which the indigenous building methods and materials of Oman are capable of meeting the country's contemporary shelter needs, and compares them with alternative materials and techniques being introduced as replacements. Visits to 20 towns and villages in 6 regions and examination of local climatological data indicate that no one unified type of building can realistically be applied to the whole country. Unfortunately, evidence indicates that in 1973 a unified approach was being taken, with identical new building, using concrete block and sheet metal construction, occurring in different areas. Local materials (palm frond stems, mud bricks, limestone) and techniques (screens, lattice work, louvres, windcatchers, central courtyards) appear capable of meeting many local requirements, providing comfortable and healthy living conditions, adaptation to suit individual needs, and generating and stimulating the local economy. Indigenous methods suffer most from being associated with underdevelopment and the notion of being inferior to newly introduced solutions. New projects tend to employ foreign labor, skills, and materials. The use of new, imported techniques should be applied selectively and not as an overall approach, destroying the existing fabric of the country. (NEC)