Real Estate and Construction

The Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) aims to substantially reduce the quantity of energy consumed and see the Earth Hour campaign as a way to create an awareness of their goals. H.E. Saeed Al Tayer, MD & CEO, DEWA talks to Phil Blizzard about their conservation mission and what can be achieved, not only during the Earth Hour, but also Beyond the Hour.

The annual real estate outlook for the UAE property market from analysts Jones Lang LaSalle paints a mixed picture - with rental decline in some areas and small growth in others. Craig Plumb, Head of Research Director, MENA, JLL talks to Phil Blizzard about the key trends in the different real estate sectors and also the impact of global and regional events. The report indicates that residential and office rents are likely to fall further, but with some locations seeing an increase, and 2012 will be a year of further strength for the Dubai hotel sector.

The opening on 11-11-2011 of the Dubai Metro's Green Line signified another big development in the infrastructure of the Emirate. Phil Blizzard rides the train, highlighting the major aspects of the 23km Green Line 18, which intersects with the Red Line at two stations. A video version can be viewed in our video section.

Over $44 billion is being spent across the region on airport development across the GCC, with the target of handling over 260 million passengers per year. In this special report Phil Blizzard takes a look at major airport projects in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, where Dubai Airports recently announced breaking the 50 million passengers 'year on year' target.

Imad Dana, Chairman & CEO, Al Zorah Development Comapny talks to Phil Blizzard about their series of waterfront resorts along the Ajman coastline. He speaks about their revised plans and what can be expected in this joint project with the Ajman Government.

Business Bay, Dubai is a waterfront development in the heart of the city, designed to create a mixed-use central business district alogside sections of the extended Dubai Creek. Phil Blizzard takes a look at the progress of this development and talks to Porush Jhunjhunwala, Head of Commercial Poperty, Better Homes and H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Mohammed Saqer Al Nahyan, Chairman, R Squared Offices.

Damac Properties are adding a hospitality element to their diverse portfolio as Phil Blizzard discovered at Cityscape Global. Ziad El Chaar, MD, Damac Properties talks on how they have survived the real estate downturn, their developments and projects across the retail, residential and commercial sectors.

The 10th edition of Dubai's premeir real estate event Cityscape opened with an announcement from master developer Nakheel on a new project on Palm Jumeirah. Phil Blizzard reports on who is participating at the event which is described by the organisers as the largest B2B real estate brand in the Middle East.

Retail expansion, including the relaunch of the Palm Mall is the focus for Nakheel says Ali Rashid Lootah, Chairman, Nakheel in this interview with Phil Blizzard at Cityscape Global, Dubai. He also talks about the newly announced Palm Residence development which will be located off the trunk of Palm Jumeirah.

This edition of Property Talk goes green with the focus being 'Building for the Future'. Phil Blizzard talks to Adnan Sharafi, Chairman, Emirates Green Building Council about the council's role in developing sustainable properties, the significant energy loss by poorly designed buildings and the introduction, in line with other countries around the world, of carbon credits

The Dubai real estate market activities for the second quarter of 2011 is the focus for this edition of Property Talk. Join Phil Blizzard and Elaine Jones, CEO, Asteco Property Management as they talk about the state of the market and give some indication of real estate trends for the latter part of 2011.

The Q2 report for the Dubai Real Estate market from Jones Lang LaSalle shows an increase in villa rental rates and a decline in rates for apartments. Phil Blizzard talks to Jesse Downs Head of Management Consulting, Jones Lang LaSalle about the key findings of the report which covers the sectors of hospitality, residential, office and retail.

Practical advice on how to take care of your property when you go away for a summer vacation is offered by Christiane Murray, Head of Property Management, Landmark Property Management. She also talks to Phil Blizzard on the services offered by property management (PM) companies, compared to facility management (FM) organisations, and how a short time contract may offer 'peace of mind' when on vacation.

Landlords and home owners living overseas can now manage their properties online using a customer portal developed by Integrated Facilities Management (FM) organisation Emrill. Phil Blizzard talks to Ben Churchill, MD, Emrill Services LLC the customer experience and what the portal offers.

Advice on the key services which any reputable facilities management (FM) company should provide, the standard of quality and some indication of price structure comes from Keith Birch, Head of Business Development, EFS, a leading facilities management company. He also talks to Phil Blizzard about how FM has moved on from being a 'fix it' service to being a total management operations provider and one which these days embrace the important aspect of sustainability