Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), Abu Dhabi’s leading tourism asset developer, is to build a ‘Grade A’ accommodation village with a wide range of recreation facilities to house the construction workforce on Saadiyat Island.

The 27 sq km island offshore the UAE capital which is being transformed into a signature leisure, residential and cultural destination.

The Dh700 million ($190.5 million) Saadiyat Construction Village (SCV) has been masterplanned by Singapore’s award-winning Surbana Corporation Pte Ltd., which has 45 years of township planning and development experience. It has been designed to international standards for space, food preparation and laundry facilities. The village will house workers of TDIC contractors employed on Saadiyat Island.

Covering 40 hectares, the site is large enough to house a village for 20,000 workers but with enough room for expansion to accommodate 40,000 if required.

“By building this village, TDIC is fulfilling its commitment to ensuring best practice delivery across every element of its operations,” said Lee Tabler CEO of TDIC. “The company is also delivering on the promise of respect which is at the core of the Abu Dhabi brand.”

Based on the island’s south coast, the beachfront SCV, which will be in extensive landscaped surroundings with ample green space, will feature a cricket pitch, internet cafés, a cinema, table tennis, satellite TV and community notice boards.

The village housing is being erected in five clusters of 4,000 bed accommodation blocks with the first due for installation in September this year. Buildings have been designed with significant environmental considerations including the installation of an energy-efficient cooling system. - TradeArabia News Service