Burooj plans to develop middle-class projects

The real estate right hand of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) and the developer supporting multifaceted realty ventures in the UAE and Middle East, Burooj Properties held its annual planning workshop. The event focused on the earlier achievements of the company the future plans taking into account the present condition of the market.

The members of Buroojs Board of Directors, including Chairman Mr Khamis Buharoon, Deputy Chairman Mr Khaled Khouri and Managing Director Mr Adel Ahmed Al arouni,as well as Mr Tirad Mahmoud, CEO of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, and board members, Mr Mohammed Ismail Al Fahim and Mr Masarat Husain attended the two-day workshop.

Highlighting the workshop, Mr Adel Ahmed Al Zarouni, Managing Director of Burooj Properties, said, "It is critical for property developers to stay abreast of the latest developments and changes in the real estate market, and even more important is to regularly convene a roundtable for all parties involved in the company’s growth and expansion to evaluate previous achievements and discuss future plans. We at Burooj have committed to holding such meetings on regular basis."

Said Al Zarouni: "Based on our evaluation of the market reality and potential, we have agreed to continue development works in the Abu Dhabi property market and to target middle income groups through a series of residential projects that cater to the needs of the this growing market segment. Demand for freehold residential units in Abu Dhabi is also increasing in response to the recent regional market changes and the proven resilience of Abu Dhabi real estate sector."

"We are also looking at the possibility of working in property asset management," he added.

It was also announced by Burooj Properties that its Burooj Views project at Al Reem Island in Abu Dhabi is ready to be delivered to customers in the first quarter.

Saadiyat Island- Infrastructure to be awarded in 2010

According to senior official from Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), the two main infrastructure packages for Cultural District and Marina Disttrict on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi will be announced by the first quarter of 2010. However, he turned down the request of disclosing any values.

Andrew Seymour, the Director of o Infrastructure at Saadiyat Island added to the matter, “As a client, we are anxious to see what prices we get since it is a competitive market. The contractors are hungry now unlike two years ago. We are taking full advantage of the fact that competitive pricing need to be brought into every single element of the work that we are doing.”

Seymour also told Emirates Business, "Our initial focus was on the Saadiyat Beach area, where we have luxury resorts and golf courses and all infrastructures around the area. It also included Saadiyat Bridge, Khalifa Bridge and expressway. It will all be completed in the next three to six months. The next focus is primarily on Cultural District to support the museums and their construction. At the same time, we will be looking at Marina district. It is a considerable amount of work considering the sizes of the project components.” He further said, ” "In very broad terms, we are looking at continuing the infrastructure work on Saadiyat Island over the next 10 years and are tying in with that. As areas get completed, the verticals of the building and the development above ground will start to occur. We are looking at 2020 for the completion."

However, the main power and water facilities to the island are under construction and nearing completion.

"The transmission supplier built at 400kv grid station and all the cables are nearing completion. Of the four substations, two are nearing completion and the other two will be completed by mid-2010. We are in the first phase of finishing off the huge ground storage tank, which will distribute water across the island. That will finish in 2010. One sewage treatment plant will be completed this month, and the design build contract on the second one has been awarded to Kharafi National," said Seymour.

The Australian-based Thiess Management Services is managing the construction waste management issues and have been imploring third-party contractors to take on various related jobs.

Seymour said:"We have a concrete crushing and waste management disposal system on the island. We are also looking at ways to control waste on the island so that sub-contractors on the island would deliver to one central location, which will minimize the logistical issues and traffic. We also have environmental services through TDIC and our lead consultant Parson to make sure our and third party developers are complying with our environmental mitigation plans. Sustainability will remain our priority along with reuse of construction waste, if possible."

The main issues on the project are logistical issues. However the bigger challenge is being predicted as Saadiyat Island will see more developers and contractors coming in the coming days.

ETA Star handovers Liberty House Real Estate Development

ETA Star is one of the leading real estate property developers in the UAE. This real estate company has now started handing over residential and office units to Liberty House owners. It is located in Dubai International Financial Centre district (DIFC). This property development company has already begun the handling of Dh700 million. Liberty House offers a complete range of freehold residential accommodation. The project is a 42 storey freehold tower; L shaped comprising of luxury studios, 1-2 bedroom duplexes and 1-2 bedroom apartments.

The Executive Director of the ETA Star, Abid Junaid said: “With great pride, we are pleased to say that we are amongst the first private property developers to deliver a project in the DIFC district. Keeping in mind to the current scenario, the delivery of the magnificent Liberty House holds strong significance in our hearts as this validates our trust and commitment towards our loyal patrons and customers. We will continue to strive towards completing our projects as per schedule.”

Liberty House is a full fledge unit comprising of office space, residential accommodation, car parking etc. This property in Dubai consists of office spaces on 10 floors. Above this there are 20 floors providing luxurious residential accommodation. Moreover, car parking is not at all an issue as 6 levels of car parking are available. This office property in Dubai in Liberty House is centrally located around an atrium space thereby, providing a lively and a comfortable environment for the employees. Moreover, the apartments are being developed with contemporary designs and a great level of sophistication is also involved. Apartments are designed keeping in mind the modern lifestyle with terrace areas. Thus, it has become a perfect residential and a commercial property.

Nakheel drives the Can Collection Drive of the Emirates Environmental Group

The master developer of Dubai, Nakheel, has declared its support of the Emirates Environmental Group’s (EEG) Can Collection Drive for the year 2009. This will observe Nakheel communities and offices donating their cans throughout the month of May to the not-for-profit organization whose principle is to raise awareness of the issues related to environment in the Gulf region. The project is a part of the Nakheel’s Recycle it! Program which barred over 3,500,000 kilograms of waste from entering Dubai's landfill sites during 2008.

This significant accomplishment was made achievable by the unbeaten partnership between Imdaad Environment, its main waste contractor and Nakheel. Nakheel, the master developer leads by example when it comes to waste management and requires its many contractors to reduce, re-use and recycle waste wherever possible. The Managing Director, Nakheel Asset Management & Design, Abdulrahman Kalantar, has quoted, 'Nakheel is committed to waste management and has a number of strategies in place throughout or communities and offices to help not only reduce waste but also raise awareness of environmental and waste management issues. We are delighted to be working with EEG to support the Can Collection 2009 by collecting cans from our offices and communities throughout the month. We will also be providing facilities and volunteers for the culmination of the drive on Thursday May 28th’

The Emirates Environmental Group is supported by Nakheel, which helps raising awareness on responsible waste management and recycling, on a continuous basis. Nakheel takes a leading role in the EEG’s community education campaigns each year, and motivates contractors and staff to take part in the EEG’s annual events including Can Collection Drive and Cleaning Up Day. For all those who are interested to take part in this year’s campaign can contact EEG at 04-3448622 or e-mail at eeg@emirates.net.ae .