Residential marinas come of age in Dubai says leading French architect

Currently involved in the Green Community Commercial Centre within Dubai Investment Park, featuring a four hectare lake and over 110 000 m2 floor area, Spoerry said developments such as Dubai Marina and Palm Island fit into a worldwide trend for upmarket residential marinas.

"Dubai's residential market is liberalising and maturing. There is a growing demand for waterfront properties that offer glamour, status, lifestyle, sea-sports and fun," said Spoerry, whose 50-year old Paris-based architectural practice was responsible for Port Grimaud, in the South of France, the best known residential marina project in the world.

"In most marina projects, the sale of boat moorings are a small part of income, the lion's share of developers' profits being in the value added to the real estate."

Spoerry, (spoerry@noos.fr),who will be among 39 experts from 12 countries addressing the 4th International Property Investment and Management Conference (IPIC) in Dubai later this month, believes water villages - low-rise, human-scale, canal-laced communities planned as integrated resorts - have a bright future in the region.

"The main attraction for residents is their boat mooring along a private quay at the end of their garden. Boats are a status symbol on a par with a luxury sports car and who would prefer to have his Ferrari parked miles away, rather than at home? Water villages make it affordable to have a boat at home," said Spoerry,

IPIC is being organised by the Institute for International Research (IIR) alongside Cityscape 2002 - the ground breaking international commercial architecture, property design and development sector exhibition - to be held at the Emirates Towers hotel from December 14-16

According to Spoerry the biggest challenge facing regional developers of water front projects is the Gulf's tidal range which hampers canal-based schemes.

"Our Sentosa Cove project in Singapore encountered similar tidal range that complicated mooring arrangements and required tall and expensive quays. We chose to stablise the canals' water level through the use of locks at the port entrance," said Spoerry.

"The system has now been in use for years and has brought many benefits including savings of up to 70% on water-edge infrastructure, perfectly controlled water quality, less cluttered mooring arrangements and the use of the canals as an architectural water feature."

The region's first stabilised canal project in the Gulf is Bahrain's US $70m Al Marsa Floating City, part of the much larger reclaimed Amwaj Islands project that is linked to Bahrain by a two kilometre long causeway. When the project is completed in 2005 it will cover 26 hectares. It will have 240 canal houses, a 150-room hotel, time-share apartments, shopping mall and restaurants and a yacht club. It will accommodate between 1,500 and 2,000 people.

To date Cityscape 2002 has attracted many of the world's leading architects, urban planners and consultants. Among those taking part will be: Ahmed Abu Baker Janahi Architect; Advanced Glazing Company: Aqar Developments; Al Oula Development: Al Reem; Amlaki; Arabtec; Arab Engineering Bureau; Architecture Plus; Arab Construction World; Atkins Behnisch, Behnisch & Partners; Cassia Associates; Construction World; Convrgnt; Core Architects; Dar Al Omran; Dev Corp; Dubai Development & Investment Authority; Darkan Project Management; Emaar; Emrill; Fayad; Geberit; Godwin Austen Johnson; Halcrow; H & R Johnson; Hyder Consulting; Ian Banham Associates; Jotun; KEO International; Lighting Design Partnership; Michael Hopkins & Partners; Martin Architectural; National Investor; PHB Group; PT Group; Philips Lighting; Protec Production Technology; Q & A International; Rais AL Khaimah Government; RMJM Architects & Consulting Engineers; Roberts & Partners; Reemoon Consultants; Spoerry Architecture; Tabreed and Zawya.