Property Report

The winners of the debut MEED Quality Awards for Projects were honoured at the Arabian World Construction Summit held in Abu Dhabi. Major projects across the region were recognised for their quality by a panel of industry experts, with the winner of the MEED GCC Project of the Year going to Burj Khalifa in Dubai, as Phil Blizzard reports.

Developments in the Facilities Management (FM) sector of the real estate industry are discussed in this roundtable session, headed by Phil Blizzard, with Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, CEO, RERA talking about the direction RERA is taking with regards to FM. Mahmoud El Buri, Snr Director, RERA talks about the RERA Institute and FM eductaion, whilst Ali al Suwaidi, MEFMA Board Member, offers an insight into their activities and sustainability.

Despite a slow first day, Cityscape Abu Dhabi showcased the progress of some major projects by big names such as TDIC, Sorouh, Baniyas and Reem Investments. AMEinfo brings you the latest news from the exhibition and gives you an insider look into the Abu Dhabi property market trends, as well as the growing demands of Saudi Arabia, through exclusive talks with real estate analysts.

After considerable growth and sky-rocketing rents and property prices in 2008, the Dubai and Abu Dhabi real estate sectors were subject to the world economic crisis shock in 2009 which caused rents and property prices to reverse their upward trajectory and witness steep decline. Jesse Downs, MEA Director of Jones Lang LaSalle talks to AMEinfo about the persisting short term challenges in 2011, but also about the long term opportunities generated by a more customer-friendly environment and the focus on affordable housing across the region.

Fractional ownership of luxury properties is seeing steady growth as the expected return on investment from the traditional real estate market hits rock bottom. So, what is the difference between fractional ownership and timeshare schemes, is there a real return on investment and what are the benefits of having your second home on a fractional basis? Phil Blizzard talks to Mike Balfour, Chairman, The Hideaways Club

The 'Top 11 Trends for UAE Real Estate in 2011' are revealed in this edition of Property Report, from research conducted by Jones Lang LaSalle MENA. In this part Phil Blizzard look at the first six trends, in ascending order of importance, with Jones Lang Salle, MENA executives Jesse Downs, Director of Management Consulting and Craig Plumb, Head of Research.

We continue the 'Top 11 Trends for UAE Real Estate in 2011' with the top 5 being revealed by Craig Plumb, Head of Research and Jesse Downs, Director of Management Consulting, both from Jones Lang LaSalle, MENA. Phil Blizzard also speaks to Blair Hagkull, Chairman, Jones Lang Salle, MENA to summarise the outlook for 2011.

"The shopping centre hierarchy in Dubai is likely to evolve into a two tier hierarchy with the big super regionals weathering the storm" says Phil Evans, Director-Commercial & Retail Leasing, Al Futtaim Group Real Estate. Phil Blizzard talks to him at Dubai Festival City about developments there, as well as their projects in Egypt and Qatar, and the state of the real estate market for retail and leisure.

The Pearl Qatar is slowly emerging as a living community as residents and retailers move into this upmarket development. Phil Blizzard revisits The Pearl and talks to Jerry Jackson, Technical Director, UDC, Qatar about the style of this Mediterranean inspired waterfront project and how it is evolving.

The Environmental Centre for Arab Towns (ECAT) is a scientific research institute which deals with environmental issues concerning natural resources and sustainable urban development. Phil Blizzard talks to Eng. Mohamed Al Noori, Director, ECAT, about the organization which runs under the supervision of Dubai Municipality

The world's tallest free standing structure - the Burj Khalifa, Dubai opened in January 2010. In this report Phil Blizzard reflects back on the first twelve months of this iconic building and some notable events - from the grand naming ceremony and firework display, the opening of the observation deck 'At The Top', and the visit of Giorgio Armani for the opening of the first Armani Hotel.

Property Talk looks at the key developments in the Dubai and Abu Dhabi real estate markets during 2010. Phil Blizzard, talking with Charles Neil, CEO, Landmark Properties reflects back on the previous year and look ahead to how the market will evolve with the expected increase of inventory in both the residential and commercial sectors.

Dubai based Jumeirah Group are set to make their hospitality debut in the UAE capital with a 596 keys property. Phil Blizzard spoke to Doris Greif, GM, Jumeirah Etihad Towers in this preview to talk about the key features, the positioning in the Abu Dhabi market and their concerns for the environment.

Property Report looks at Abu Dhabi and the evolution of project development in this sector. Real estate expert Gurjit Singh, COO, Sorouh, PJSC talks to Phil Blizzard about the state of the market and says "there is now a mood of reality". He also gives some indication to the delivery of their numerous projects and discusses the rent in-balance between Abu Dhabi and Dubai and the prospect of a levelling out.

The infrastructure is in place, residential units have been handed over and other units are coming on stream says Salem Al Moosa, Chairman & CEO, Falconcity of Wonders. Talking to Phil Blizzard he expresses his views on the 'state of the market', as well as talking about the key 'attractions' of the project and how it is progressing.