Construction has started on eight new projects at Dubai Festival City, it was revealed at Cityscape Dubai today, with Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate (AFGRE) on target to complete the Festival Centre retail resort and extend its commercial and residential offering by 2011.
Extensive residential development is underway in the Al Badia district of Dubai Festival City which offers residents a tranquil community lifestyle with a choice of spectacular views over Four Seasons golf course, the Creek or the Dubai skyline.
The number of homes in the established, elegant Mediterranean-style community of Al Badia Residences will increase with the current Phase III construction of 180 apartments and townhouses.
Two further Arabian-style condominiums are under construction at Al Badia Hillside Village offering a choice of one, two and three-bedroom apartments.
Each of the nine condominiums in total has been designed to capture the rich heritage of Arabia with enclosed courtyards, open terraces and the use of natural earth tones and textures.
Al Badia Oasis, a new residential development of five towers with a total of 800 units, will form a vibrant community with a large village green at its heart; playgrounds and other recreational facilities will all be connected by pedestrian pathways running through the landscaped gardens.
Brett Schafer, senior managing director of AFGRE, said: 'Our residential communities have been carefully planned to provide an outstanding selection of quality homes.'
'Living at Dubai Festival City is a different experience and one that people will definitely enjoy. There is nowhere else quite like it - where a real community lifestyle has evolved thanks to having the ideal selection of shops, restaurants, cafes, activities and services, all right on the doorstep.'
The retail space of the flagship Festival Centre will see major expansion as a result of the surge in activity and will increase to 2.9 million sq ft with the addition of the 665,000 sq ft The Collection and its 170 specialist boutiques, trend-setting restaurants and niche stores.
The Collection - on which contractor Al-Futtaim Carillion has already started work to the blueprint created by architects team 5+Design and ZAS/Kieferle & Partner - links into the new 400-room Four Seasons Hotel and completes the development of the retail resort at Festival Centre.
In addition to The Collection and the Four Seasons Hotel, the retail resort comprises 2.9 million sq ft of retail space, 498 room InterContinental Dubai Festival City hotel, 316 room Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City hotel, 45,000 sq ft The Event Centre, over 100-berth luxury Festival Marina and 530,000 sq ft 'AAA' grade office space in Festival Tower, all seamlessly connected via the waterfront Corniche.
The new W Hotel, located in the Marsa Al Khor district, is another first for Dubai Festival City. Al-Futtaim Carillion is making rapid headway with the construction work at the quayside site of the 330-room hotel and its exclusive apartments designed by architect KEO International Consultants.
The first of four mid-rise office towers is under construction in Marsa Al Khor Business Park, a commercial area with spectacular Creek views, designed to provide a variety of office accommodation, loft-style office spaces, luxury executive suites and apartments, all set amongst lush landscaped gardens.
A second commercial area, Al Badia Business Campus, is also under construction. A total of 23 low and mid-rise office buildings will populate the site.
'With a total of 10 million sq ft of prime commercial space planned, Dubai Festival City will offer one of the most complete and prestigious commercial centres in the UAE,' said Schafer.
'Dubai Festival City is ideally located with direct access from Business Bay Crossing and Garhoud Bridge and is near to the airport. Ease of access is an important consideration when deciding where to live, work, relax, shop or dine.
'Within three years Dubai Festival City will have completed the retail resort at Festival Centre. Its hospitality offering will be expanded to include the first Four Seasons and W Hotels in the UAE, and there will be new residential communities and extensive development of the business districts.'
'These are only a few of the many projects that will start construction throughout this three year period and beyond as part of our progressive development programme to be completed in 2020.'-Reuters