Cityscape to honour excellence in Mid East real estate

Aimed at recognising and promoting industry excellence, Cityscape Abu Dhabi will be presenting the awards for the second successive year. The prize-giving ceremony will be held during a gala dinner on the first night of the real estate event on 13th May at the Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi.

A panel of internationally acclaimed industry professionals has been assembled to judge the entries which have been sorted into eleven distinct categories.

Overall the entries will be judged on their contribution to world architecture culture, invention and imagination, respect for people and environmental awareness in the emerging & recently developed countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa. In some categories entries have been separated into those already built and future projects that are incomplete or still on the drawing board.

The judges panel includes; Dr Mohammed Dulaimi, BSc CE, MSC CE, PhD Construction Management, MCIOB, The British University in Dubai; Dr Sadek Owaitani, Chairman of the Council, Emirates Green Building Council; Khaleel Al Hosani, Vice Chairman, Society of Engineers; Abdulmajid Abdulrazzaq Al Khaja, C.E.O. Rail Agency, Roads & Transport Authority; Sophie Llewellyn, Board Member, Royal Institute of Surveyors (RICS); Bryan Schaffer, Founder & Chairman, IRETO; Rohan Marwaha, Managing Director, Cityscape; Rushdi Siddiqui, Global Director for the Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes; John Sandwick, Encore Management S.A. and Dr. Abdullah Ghareeb Al-Bloshi, Executive Director - Property Management, Department of Municipal Affairs, Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Mark Goodchild, Project Manager, Cityscape Abu Dhabi commented, 'The Cityscape Middle East Real Estate Awards 2008, have been keenly contested. The rivalry, although professional, will be intense on the night and an astonishing array of talent will be evident. However, the real aim of the awards is to celebrate excellence by rewarding truly exceptional achievements and thereby raising the bar for the industry as a whole.'

The Awards scheme has received solid support from the real estate and associated industries, with headline sponsors that include; Bose, Etisalat, Gaggenau, RAK Ceramics, Environmental Power Systems, Cool City, Al Wifaq, 2G, DC Pro and Shaker Consultancy. The Awards are also supported by RICS, IRECO and Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning Council.

Award Catagories:

1. Finance - Best Islamic Real Estate Finance
2. Finance -Most Innovative Finance
3. Marketing - Best Real Estate Marketing Campaign
4. Best Developer - Sustainable Development Award
5. Best Developer - Corporate Social Responsibility Award
6. Best Developer - Waterfront Development (Built & Future)
7. Best Developer - Retail Project Award (Built & Future)
8. Best Developer - Commercial/Office Project Award (Built & Future)
9. Best Developer - Residential Project Award (Built & Future)
10. Best Developer - Mixed Use Project Award (Built & Future)
11. Architecture - Best Urban Design & Masterplanning