Major projects unveiled at Cityscape Abu Dhabi

Lulu Island, Abu Dhabi

The Lulu Island giant model, unveiled for the first time during the show, was considered the star of Cityscape Abu Dhabi. The island covers an area of almost 1,400 acres located 500 meters offshore from the Abu Dhabi Corniche.

The master-plan calls for a range of residential, resort and retail areas, and capitalises on the Island's water features, with canals, marinas and a public beach. Only one tower will rise above Lulu Island, acting as its focal point.

No information was revealed on when work will commence, but the developer Sorouh Real Estate said it would be in line with Plan Abu Dhabi 2030.

Ghantoot City, Abu Dhabi

A new addition to Abu Dhabi's green approach was the Ghantoot Development, close to the border with Dubai. The mix-use city will be developed by ICT real estate company 15km off Dubai Waterfront, Nakheel's newest city close to Palm Jebel Ali.

Ghantoot is 8km square in size and will have Abu Dhabi's first 'six' star hotel. The city will also have 8km of waterfront at the 'heart of the development', according to Haitham Haider, COO of ICT. It will take eight years to build the city, with development starting in August.

Arzanah, Abu Dhabi

At the gateway of Abu Dhabi city, Arzanah is Capitala's maiden project. The 1.4 million square metre project will include 9,000 residential units. Classed as a non-investment zone, only nationals can buy property in Arzanah. The project also has leisure, sports and retail areas and a 2km private beach.

Waleed Al Mokkarab Al Muhairi, COO of Mudadala, which jointly owns Capitala along with Singapore-based Capitaland, called the area an integrated residential development at the gateway to Abu Dhabi city. It will feature high rise apartment towers and townhouses, communal gardens and trails for both walking and cycling.

Blue Dolphin Centre, Abu Dhabi

In the retail area of the Al Raha Beach development, Plus Properties showcased its Blue Dolphin Centre, one of the first freehold office and retail centres in Abu Dhabi.

The Dhs300m centre consists of executive suites with size ranging between 1,200 and 6,000 sq ft. And while no information was released on the project's timeline, the company unveiled some other upcoming projects in Beirut, Lebanon; namely the Ashrafeieh and Verdun Residential towers which are still in the pre-launch stage and will be announced shortly according to George Chehwane, Plus Properties CEO.

The best of the rest

Although not in Abu Dhabi, there were other significant, major projects from elsewhere in the Middle East announced during Cityscape Abu Dhabi.

Al-Zorah Ajman

The Al-Zorah project in Ajman is the product of cooperation between the Beirut-based Solidere Management Services and the government of Ajman. The name has been connected to the Egyptian Hollywood star Omar Al Sherif, who has been acting as the project's celebrity face.

Some 12km sq of land and 22 metres square of built area make up this Dhs50bn mixed-use coastal development. It will be located around the beach in Ajamn. Imad Bana, CEO of Al-Zorah Project, said the development will increase the existing 3km beach length to 16km.

The project will include some residential buildings, hospitals, schools, offices, shopping centres, a golf course, a marina, and a five star hotel. 'It will reflect the Mediterranean style of low rise buildings as in the down town district of Beirut,' Bana said.

Land reclamation is expected to be completed in three years, while it might take up to 15 years to complete all construction.

Salam Resort, Bahrain

In Bahrain, Sama Dubai, the international real estate and development arm of Dubai Holding, is developing the Salam Resort just 45km from Bahrain World Trade Centre.

The project will be built in two phases. Phase one is a 288-room beach hotel, seven waterfront hotel villas, a conference centre and six royal villas located on a private island. Phase two will be residential buildings and retail areas.

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