Nakheel announces expansion of Dubai Design Centre

The expansion at the DDC, will now take the total area of the development to 13 million square feet with a net prime retail space of 5.7 million square feet, the rest of which is being used to create additional amenities for customers, tenants and patrons from the GCC and the Middle East region in the largest-of- its-kind development in the world.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman, Nakheel said: "Dubai Design Centre answers the region's call for an integrated market space that is exclusively dedicated to offering every conceivable solution in home furnishing. The development is the first and only port of call for real estate and property developers in the UAE, the rest of the GCC and the Middle East region who are looking for world class furnishing accessories and building materials. The project has yet again demonstrated Nakheel's resourcefulness in reacting aptly to the market demand and provides a tremendous boost to the property development sector that is already booming in the region."

The DDC is located in the Al Warsan area of Dubai at the intersection of the Emirates Road, Al Aweer Road and the Academic Road. The 4.2 kilometre frontage of the project lies adjacent to the Emirates Road, which is an arterial link between Northern Emirates and Abu Dhabi and the City with New Dubai area.

"The Dubai Design Centre is strategically located in the International City development, lying in close proximity to many of the signature property developments taking shape in the New Dubai area," said Bin Sulayem. "The access to the Dubai International Airport from the project is unimpeded as are the free zones, the Jebel Ali port and Port Rashid. Residents of other Emirates can easily reach the development, through the arterial Emirates Road and the Al Aweer road."

The DDC is spread across several zones offering showroom space for products that are clubbed together according to category. These areas are lined up in the distinctly elongated 'U' shape of the development with each Zone providing customers choices in Furniture, Beddings, Lounges, Tables, General Homeware, Garden Décor, Carpets, Fabrics, Artwork, Electrical and White goods, Home Entertainment Products, Lighting and Fittings, Electrical Appliances, Air Conditioning and Hot Water, Plumbing hardware and tools, Baths, Basins, Taps, Doors and Windows, Glass Supplies, Tiles and Stone supplies, Shelves and fixing, Timber and Steel supplies, Block work, Insulation, Plasters, Landscaping and Gardening and other lifestyle amenities, such as Pools and Spas and a host of finishing products such as Paints, Varnish and Tempering products among others.

In addition, the Dubai Design Centre features office blocks providing 80,000 square meter of prime office space and a state of the art business centre, offering integrated conferencing and business related solutions to the tenants of the project. The centre is also going to host a three and a four star hotel, two extensive food courts as well as an entertainment section. A 10,000 square metre retail plot is planned to be added to the centre. Due to extensive length of the project, the 20-meter wide internal corridors will have a number of moving walkways. An external shuttle service is planned within the project to double up as a mass transit system in the enormous development. A public car parking facility intended for approximately 18,000 cars will occupy the entire lower level of the development. Such provisions are aimed at making the Dubai Design Centre more user-friendly.

"The hallmark magnitude, sector orientation, unsurpassed support facilities and ease of access make this development quite unique," said Bin Sulayem. "The DDC in the coming years will be nodal point for the construction and real estates development activity in the region with global industry leaders already showing great interest in the project as their hub to service the GCC and the Middle East region."