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Ultra-luxury skyscrapers in New York to receive a new addition

Article-Ultra-luxury skyscrapers in New York to receive a new addition

Billionaires Row2

Architecture firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) recently released a render visual for the latest addition, called 41-47 West 57th Street, to a row of supertall skyscrapers in New York.

The building will be a part of a cluster of ultra-luxury residential skyscrapers in New York located towards the South end of Central Park, popularly known as Billionaires’ Row.

As a mixed use skyscraper, preliminary designs propose 41-47 West 57th Street to be 1,100 feet high, with sweeping views of Central Park. The wedge-shaped building will have 63 storeys in total according to early plans, with 119 residential units, a 158-room hotel, and commercial space stretching to about 10,200 square feet.

DEVELOPER SEDESCO IS LOOKING TO EXTEND FLOOR SPACE FOR 41 - 47 WEST 57TH STREET

The developer for 41-47 West 57th Street, Sedesco, is looking to extend the site’s floor space. Sedesco has reportedly asked for authorisation for over 52,000 additional square footage from zoning authorities. Current zoning allows for a building of 385,700 square feet on the site.

In return, the company has committed to making improvements to the F train subway station on 57th Street under New York's Zoning for Accessibility program. The program allows private developers to access incentives for properties located near stations by offering construction improvements.

Billionaires Row1

41 - 47 WEST 57TH STREET WILL JOIN A NUMBER OF ALLURING SKYSCRAPERS IN NEW YORK

57th Street, where the new high-rise is to be located, is a prime location for skyscrapers in New York, and is popular among billionaire home buyers. It is home to  two of the most popular skyscrapers in New York and the world – Central Park Tower, the tallest residential high-rise in the world, and Steinway Tower (111 West 57th Street), the world’s most slender skyscraper.

These two high-rises are joined by six other ultra-luxury skyscrapers to form what is known as New York’s Billionaires' Row. Three of the skyscrapers from this cluster can be found on 57th Street. A hub for skyscrapers in New York, 57th Street was the most expensive street in the city in 2019, with properties registering an average sale price of USD 9.8 million.

The location is also known for the most expensive home to have ever been sold in the US. In January 2019, billionaire hedge fund manager and CEO of Citadel Ken Griffin spent USD 238 million on a penthouse at 220 Central Park South, making it the most expensive home sale to have ever taken place in the US.

Photo credit: www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/skyscraper-new-york, www.theb1m.com/video/the-rise-of-new-york-s-super-skinny-towers

 

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USD 147 billion push for transportation and logistics in KSA

Article-USD 147 billion push for transportation and logistics in KSA

Saudi Port

Transportation and logistics in Saudi Arabia will receive an investment push of SAR 550 billion (about USD 147 billion) over the next nine years, Saudi Arabia’s transportation minister Saleh Al Jasser said at an event earlier this week.

The investment drive was announced as a public-private collaboration, with 35% of total spending coming from the government and the rest from private players. The boost for transportation and logistics in Saudi Arabia will include a new international airline, airport expansion plans, a wider train network, and technological integration, Al Jasser said.

Many of the projects were “bankable” and “attractive,” the minister noted, adding that they represented big opportunities for both local and international private partnerships. The announcement is the latest in a slew of initiatives taken by the Saudi government to diversify the country’s economy away from oil and drive up its non-oil revenues through its national Vision 2030 agenda.

REBOOTING TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Prior to the investment announcement, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman had announced a new strategy for transportation and logistics in Saudi Arabia last week. The strategy aims to position the country as a global hub for logistics, with improved and integrated transportation services.

Transportation is at the heart of this strategy. Saudi Arabia will soon have a new international airline based in Riyadh, open over 250 international aviation routes, triple total annual passenger traffic to 330 million by 2030, and expand annual capacity at King Khalid International Airport and King Abdulaziz International Airport.

Logistics in Saudi Arabia will also receive a boost, with the total length of railway tracks to be increased to 8,080 kilometres, including the "land bridge" project, which will have an annual capacity of over three million passengers and 50 million tons of freight. The project will connect Saudi ports in the Arabian Gulf with ports along the Red Sea coast.

The strategy aims to increase GDP contributions from transportation and logistics in Saudi Arabia. Currently at 6%, the strategy aims to grow this to 10%, increasing non-oil revenues from the sector to SAR 45 billion by 2030.

“The strategy will enable our country to invest its geographical position in the middle of the three continents in diversifying our economy by establishing an advanced logistics services industry, building high-quality systems of services, and applying competitive business models to enhance productivity and sustainability in the logistics sector," the Crown Prince said about the strategy for reinforcing logistics in Saudi Arabia.

 

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The Marina Tower will be one of the greenest skyscrapers in the world

Article-The Marina Tower will be one of the greenest skyscrapers in the world

MarinaTower2

Foster + Partners has revealed designs for Greece’s tallest building and first green skyscraper, the Marina Tower. Part of the firm’s Ellinikon masterplan, the green high-rise building will be located in the Agios Kosmas marina area, in southern Attica.

In addition to being the tallest building in Greece, the Marina Tower will also be the tallest green beachfront skyscraper in the Mediterranean region. The building is expected to be completed within the next five years.

The designs for the Marina Tower are based on “sustainable principles to generate a new paradigm for high-rise living and a green beacon in the landscape,” Antoinette Nassopoulos-Erickson, Senior Partner at Foster + Partners, said.

THE MARINA TOWER WILL BE BOTH SUSTAINABLE AND SMART

The Marina Tower will rise to 200 metres above sea level, with 45 floors and 200 apartments, panoramic views of the coastline, and natural light and ventilation.

The Marina Tower is designed to imbibe characteristics of the Mediterranean landscape, with a bioclimatic nature featuring green and water-based elements, and a slim outline that blends with the natural environment surrounding the building.

The tower will be built using green construction materials, feature the latest international safety protocols, and have the functionalities of a smart building. On completion, the Marina Tower is expected to be one of the greenest, most sustainable high-rises across the world, and will join five other skyscrapers planned for Ellinikon, near Athens.

MarinaTower1

THE MARINA TOWER WILL BE LOCATED AT THE HEART OF ELLINIKON

The Ellinikon site lies along the Athenian Riviera, where an airport was previously located, and is connected by both metro and tram lines. The polycentric community project will feature diverse, walkable and mixed-use neighbourhoods, designed for residential, shopping, working, leisure and entertainment, and cultural purposes.

Neighbourhoods are designed to be self-sustaining, and are connected via a number of green pedestrian corridors. About half of the area of every neighbourhood will be handed over to local communities to be developed as social, welfare or cultural infrastructure, to incorporate social and cultural value with commercial development.

The masterplan also features a coastal metropolitan park, which is expected to increase the open space allocated per Athenian resident by 44%, and provide more green space at Ellinikon. Subterranean tunnelling beneath the site’s main avenues will connect the city with the surrounding sea.

Overall, the Ellinikon site will cover three million square metres in area, and is expected to be completed by 2026.

Photo credit: www.fosterandpartners.com/news/archive/2021/07/designs-for-marina-tower-the-first-green-high-rise-building-in-greece-revealed/

 

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Mega projects continue supply trend for hotels in Saudi Arabia

Article-Mega projects continue supply trend for hotels in Saudi Arabia

SaudiHotels

Two recently announced master development agreements are maintaining the supply growth of hotels in Saudi Arabia.

Seera Group and Kaden investment recently announced a master development agreement for the development and management of mid-market hotels in Saudi Arabia. Announced in the first week of July, the first hotel under the agreement will open in the retail-focused mega-development Riyadh Front.

It will be surrounded by bigger projects such as the Riyadh Front Exposition and Conference Centre, the largest exhibition and conference centre in Saudi Arabia for conferences, meetings, and exhibitions.

The joint venture aims to capitalise on Riyadh’s business hub market, which, CEO of Seera Group Majed Alnefaie said, is “full of potential.”

IHG Hotels and Resorts also announced a master development agreement with RIVA Development Company’s subsidiary RIVA Hospitality for Hotel Services Company, in the same week. The two companies announced their joint venture for the InterContinental Riyadh King Fahed Road, the second of at least seven hotels in Saudi Arabia that the companies will be partnering over.

The InterContinental Riyadh King Fahed Road is expected to open in March 2025, and will feature 250 guest rooms and 150-unit apartments, in addition to a pool, fitness centre, spa, business centre, and 784 square metres of meeting and events space, including a 600 square metre ballroom aimed at business travellers. 

IHGSaudiHotels.jpg

HOTELS IN SAUDI ARABIA TO LEAD GLOBAL SUPPLY TREND

Hotels in Saudi Arabia are slated to experience an increase of 67.1% in room supply over the next three years, the highest amongst the world’s top 50 countries by population. Overall, 73,057 rooms are projected to be opened across three phases, of which 16,965 are expected to go online in 2021 alone.

Most of the pipeline activity for hotels in Saudi Arabia is focused in Riyadh and Jeddah, which can expect to see an increase in supply by 75% and 97% respectively. Meanwhile, Makkah has 28,052 keys in development, with supply expected to grow by 81%.

Overall, a total of 163 hotels in Saudi Arabia, including mega projects, are expected to open up in the next few years. Of these, 72 hotels will belong to the five-star category, while 91 hotels will fall into the four-star category. 

The supply surge of hotels in Saudi Arabia is in line with Saudi Arabia’s tourism focus under Vision 2030. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism had said earlier this year that it aims to attract USD 58 billion in investment by 2023, and over USD 133 billion by 2030, to boost tourism in the country.

Photo credit: www.hospitalitynet.org/announcement/41006622.html, www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/business/110883-market-update-saudi-arabia

 

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Record-breaking sales for Dubai’s residential property in Q2, led by villas

Article-Record-breaking sales for Dubai’s residential property in Q2, led by villas

DubaiHillsEstate1

The record volume of sales in Dubai’s residential property market for Q2 this year has broken records for every other quarter since 2010, according to a report by ValuStrat. Moreover, for the first time in three years, the transacted price per square foot surpassed the AED 1000 mark.

Residential property deals surpassed 7,500 transactions in June this year, and continued to grow at 1.5% to take the ValuStrat Price Index (VPI) to 69 points. Although far from the peak of 112.9 points in June 2014, the VPI has rallied 5.5% since the start of 2021.

Overall, properties by five developers — Emaar, Azizi, Nakheel, Damac, and Seven Tides — dominated residential property sales, according to the report. 

Most of the ready-to-move-in homes that were transacted in June were concentrated in International City, Dubai Marina, Business Bay, Green Community West and Dubai Hills Estate. Meanwhile, Meydan One, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Sobha Hartland and Business Bay were popular locations for off-plan properties transacted during the month.

The findings of the report reiterate the ongoing rebound in Dubai’s residential property market, with a demand for bigger homes driving growth in this sector.

Jumeirah Lake Towers1

VILLAS LEAD RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY SALES THIS QUARTER

The growth in residential property sales was led by the market for villas, which represent 13% of Dubai’s residential market

Villas saw an increase of 7% in sales for the quarter, with sales in June surging 68% as compared to May sales. Arabian Ranches (10.3%), Jumeirah Islands (9.1%), and Dubai Hills Estate (9%) were top villas this quarter to see the highest annual capital gains.

The Lakes, Mudon, and The Meadows also saw gains of 8.2%, 7.7% and 7.2% respectively.

Further, ready home sales grew 75.5% month-on-month, and off-plan Oqood (online property registration service) registrations grew by 59.5%. 

Arabian Ranches1

On the other hand, the VPI for apartments didn’t perform as well, growing 1.7% for the quarter. Jumeirah Beach Residence registered the strongest growth from this sector at 1.8%, and was the only apartment property to register positive growth on an annual basis. Palm Jumeirah, Downtown Dubai, and The Views also registered some of the top quarterly gains, but overall, annual values for most apartments were still on the decline.

At the same time, however, apartment properties located in International City, Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Al Furjan, and Al Quoz 4 have been able to recover capital losses from 2020.

Off-plan transactions for residential property represented 42% of deals in this sector, while a majority (58%) were ready-to-move-in homes.

Photo credit: www.luxhabitat.ae/areas/dubai/dubai-hills/, www.dbestlifestyle.com/six-reasons-to-buy-a-villa-in-dubai-arabian-ranches/

 

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Aldar’s sustainability-linked loan first of its kind for green financing in MENA real estate

Article-Aldar’s sustainability-linked loan first of its kind for green financing in MENA real estate

AldarProperties2

Aldar Properties recently signed an agreement with HSBC over an AED 300 million five-year sustainability-linked loan. The green financing facility links interest margin payable with sustainability targets, and makes Aldar the first company in the MENA region to avail a sustainability-linked loan, the company said.

The financing received under the sustainability-linked loan will be used for general corporate purposes. This includes rolling out company-wide ESG initiatives.

The interest margin will be adjusted on an annual basis, according to targets set across energy and water intensity, waste recycling and worker welfare. These targets are in line with Aldar’s corporate strategy for sustainability, as well as sustainability priorities in the wider real estate industry.

Further, Aldar has committed fixed investments to at least one ESG project if it does not reach its annual targets under the terms of the green financing deal. The loan has been structured according to the Sustainability-Linked Loan Principles provided by the Loan Market Association, Asia Pacific Loan Market Association, and Loan Syndications and Trading Association.

Up to 70% of emissions in large cities were associated with buildings, Mohammed Al Marzouqi, HSBC UAE’s Head of Global Banking, said. “By securing the first LMA Sustainability Linked Loan Principles compliant facility in the real estate sector in the MENA region, Aldar not only demonstrates its commitment to addressing these relevant ESG issues in the sector, but also sets an important precedent in the region.”

GREEN FINANCING ON THE RISE IN MENA REGION

Although the agreement between Aldar and HSBC is a first for MENA’s real estate sector, green financing and sustainability-linked loan issuance is on the rise for the region. Green and sustainability-linked loan financing reached USD 6.4 billion in the first half of this year, surpassing green financing volumes for the whole of 2020 (which stood at USD 4.7 billion).

Green financing and sustainability-linked loan issuances in the MENA region for H1 2021 went up by about 38% as compared to all of last year. Focus industries for such financing include project finance, refinance and general corporate purposes, in addition to real estate. Most of the growth in green financing and sustainability-linked loan facilities is connected with the Red Sea Development’s USD 3.8 billion green loan secured in March this year.

In addition to the Aldar-HSBC agreement, this year has also been one of many firsts for green financing transactions in the MENA region. This includes the first sustainability-linked loan to refinance existing debt, issued by Emirates NBD, as well as the first Swiss franc-denominated and Chinese Yuan-denominated green bonds, both issued by FAB.

 

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How big data in architecture will transform design

Article-How big data in architecture will transform design

PiyushPrajapatiGAJ

“The best architecture will derive from both rational and ineffable decisions,” — Phillip G. Bernstein, Architecture Design Data.

At its core, architecture exists to create a physical realm where people live, interact and socialise. It is a beautiful expression of how we see the world and ourselves.  

Picture an architect toiling over a blueprint on a drafting table using set squares and a clay model. These were the creative tools that architects relied on to envision the physical realities decades ago. Over time, these tools have been upgraded many times and architects today are equipped with new tools such as CAD, BIM and powerful rendering platforms. In the current world, it is easier to make mistakes, correct them and learn from them to create more efficient designs and schemes.

Over the past two decades, architectural design has been heavily influenced by digital tools and digitisation processes. With the integration of new technologies and processed theories, these tools have also endorsed the concept of generative design methods and Big Data. Today, our world is highly connected through Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) and it has significantly changed how we design. It has helped us better understand the spaces we inhabit.

Aside from smartphones and smart applications, modern-day architecture is redesigned and reprogrammed for better productivity, where we make confident design assessments, better real estate investments and even informed decision on urban designs and policy.

Characterised by volume, velocity and variety Big Data is complex and dynamic. However, architects and designers can extract meaningful insights, such as hidden building performance patterns, unknown correlations, and user preferences from this data. It is even possible to quantify spaces and spatial qualities and create prediction models where we are able to forecast the performance of the building and spaces before the start of the construction at the site. This data-driven design is expected to significantly impact the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry in the near future.

Digital Technology

Data-driven design is a design that is the outcome of data and statistics. It gives clear insight on information collected as the input data and the internal functioning that drive the design motive. Because the vastness of data concerning human cognition is colossal, computational tools and methods are required to analyse and process this amount of information.

Predictive design and generative designs are two examples of data-driven design methods. Both of these methods have gained a lot of recognition in the world of architectural design. Predictive design methodologies use a statistical approach to predict future behaviour. By analysing historical precedents we are able to create a model to predict future outcomes.

Predictive analysis is harmonious throughout the process allowing designers to determine the final outcome. Generative design, on the other hand, helps designers to discover unexpected, unexplored innovative designs. It is a process where data is used to produce thousands of design iterations and solutions as the result of automated analysis.  

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE MEASURES

Predictive and generative design methods are both data-dependent mathematical operations. It is easier to monitor the quantity of, for example, building performance, areas and material quantity whereas, measuring the quality such as the feeling of a space and user experience is difficult but not impossible.

Quantitative measurement is highly structured and number-driven. It quantifies results allowing for a detailed understanding of trends. Qualitative data provides the why. It measures emotions, reasoning and behaviour with the emphasis on understanding rather than just measurement. 

The two can, and should, work together.  

Imagine a scenario where an urban planner needs to make an informed decision on identifying the parts of cities that are functioning well and parts of the city that have potential for improvement. Using Big-Data it is possible to quantify this. Let’s assume we want to identify socially active places in Dubai. By using and analysing data from social media, it is now possible to map the geographic impression of people taking pictures around the city. The density of this activity can illustrate the urban hotspots potential for design interventions.

AUTOMATION AND USEFULNESS

Data-Driven Design methods make informed decisions by holistically studying multiple data parameters to predict the performance.

Through machine learning computers are able to perform tasks without actually being programmed to do so and can therefore help generate more informed design solutions. This helps determine the choice of one design over another endorsed by the potential usefulness of the design.

Big Data offers tremendous opportunities for architects and designers. It enables opportunities for improvement on-site and off-site. It provides a better level of surety about predictions and planning and it helps mitigate project risks.

 

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Pandemic or not, FDI into the Gulf is gaining momentum

Article-Pandemic or not, FDI into the Gulf is gaining momentum

InvestmentRise

It was to be the twenty-first century version of the Roaring Twenties, a period of tremendous economic expansion. We had just finished 2019, it was our tenth straight year of uninterrupted growth. Experts were prophesying a continuing streak. Of course, the pandemic put an unhappy stop to all that.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) tells us the global economy shrunk 4.4 per cent in 2020 — this compared to a mere 0.1 per cent contraction in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. It’s the sharpest plummet in generations, the worst since the Great Depression. Foreign direct investment (FDI) is often taken for a measure of economic health — global FDI flows plunged 35 per cent in 2020. The UK saw its FDI levels tumble impossibly, by 57 per cent, and North America by 46 per cent.

Except, pockets of resilience emerged in the Gulf. The UAE made headlines: FDI was up 44.2 per cent in 2020, it’s total value at almost USD 20 billion. This was higher than even the previous year’s pre-pandemic surge of 34 per cent. The UAE is now the fifteenth biggest recipient of FDI in the world, and the biggest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Saudi Arabia, too, recorded a jump in FDI inflows, a 20 per cent increase, bumping its value up to USD 5.5 billion. And FDI into Oman climbed 19.7 per cent, to USD 4.1 billion.

So what engineered this anomaly, this escalation in the face of global economic downturn — what did these Gulf countries get right?

FDI SURGES IN THE UAE

In the UAE, it was the oil-and-gas sector that led FDI last year. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) alone drew in USD 16.8 billion. It was a simple move: ADNOC opened up new opportunities for international players to invest in its gas pipeline network, and in turn attracted a multibillion-dollar investment. This transaction, which yielded over USD 10 billion in FDI, became the largest single global energy infrastructure deal last year.

Dubai, meanwhile, attracted USD 6.7 billion across 455 FDI projects in 2020 — this is a step up from the annual average of 441 projects across the preceding five-year period. Strategic sectors such as food and agribusiness, technology and healthcare emerged popular. The UAE now also ranks first across the MEA region for FDI projects in the biotechnology sector. And Dubai start-ups attracted some USD 600 million in FDI capital through 31 investment deals in 2020.

This surge, most agree, is a result of industrial diversification, an increase in free-trade zones and, most importantly, financial investment deregulations. UAE’s legislative reforms, its removal of administrative barriers and barriers to entry, granted it an edge in attracting foreign capital.

HIGH-IMPACT LEGISLATIVE REFORMS

Saudi Arabia, too, revamped some 200 regulations to drive up FDI, according to its investment minister. As a consequence, non-oil sectors gained traction: industrial and manufacturing, logistics, retail, e-commerce and information and communications technology, all became magnets for FDI into the kingdom. The lion’s share of FDI into Oman went to oil-and-gas exploration activities, manufacturing and industrial, and financial brokerage. The growth came in answer to fresh laws creating a favourable framework for public-private partnerships (PPPs).

Overall, FDI into the Gulf increased 12.4 per cent in 2020. In large part, this reflects the many new policies and legislative updates designed specifically to smooth out the path for foreign investment. This upward trend is expected to continue through 2021 and beyond, into the next decade, owing to new laws that have come into effect this year. Most notably, there’s the UAE’s decree permitting full foreign ownership of onshore companies, and Saudi Arabia’s Private Sector Participation Law, which sets out a clear framework for new PPPs.

 

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Dubai second best city in the world for digital nomads

Article-Dubai second best city in the world for digital nomads

WFHITManager

Dubai was ranked the second best city for digital nomads globally, according to The Work-From-Anywhere Index.

Coming second in a list of 75 countries, Dubai followed Melbourne as the most attractive destination for digital nomads based on multiple factors.

The rankings indexed the most liveable global destinations across three categories — costs and infrastructure, legislation and freedoms, and liveability. These categories covered factors such as the price and availability of home office spaces, internet speeds, visas and taxation, human rights and freedoms, inclusivity, and culture and leisure, as well as vaccination and COVID-19 infection rates.

Dubai particularly stood out for friendlier taxation norms, with the lowest taxation rate across all the surveyed cities (there is no income tax in Dubai). Additionally, availability of accommodation, remote working infrastructure, and inclusivity for gender-based minorities in the emirate made it a preferred choice for digital nomads.

Further, the UAE has one of the highest vaccination rates globally, making it an attractive destination by safety norms. Rents have also dropped substantially in recent months, and Dubai’s residential market is leaning towards tenant-first incentives.

To add to it all, the UAE recently announced a slew of visa options targeted at remote workers and freelancers. These visas open up resident visa benefits for digital nomads working in the UAE, including healthcare, dependent visas and other support.

Apart from Melbourne and Dubai, Sydney, Tallinn and London also featured in the top five cities for digital nomads.

DIGITAL NOMADS NEED BETTER VISA OPTIONS WORLDWIDE

Digital nomads have become a popular workforce trend in recent years. The ability to work remotely, and the rise of the gig economy and Internet businesses has meant that it has become increasingly easier for professionals to work digitally and from a place of their choosing.

The Nestpick survey found that this trend of digital nomads accelerated in the last 12 months due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The last year has really proved to many companies that remote-working is not only a possibility, but actually something that can be beneficial to everyone involved. The technology has been available for a while now, but it’s taken seeing it in practice for the idea to really take hold,” Omer Kucukdere, Founder and CEO at Nestpick, the company behind The Work-From-Anywhere Index. 

However, few countries offer options to attract foreign-employed workers, and therefore are unable to shift high-wage earners to their cities without generating new jobs.

 

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Bahrain ramps up efforts to transform into tourism hub

Article-Bahrain ramps up efforts to transform into tourism hub

Bilaj Al Jazayer Hotels and Beach Club2

The Bahrain Real Estate Investment Company, otherwise known as Edamah, has announced two beachfront projects at Bilaj Al Jazayer, located in the southwest of Bahrain. Called the Bilaj Al Jazayer Hotels and Beach Club, the project will feature two four-star boutique beachfront hotels and a beach club for day visitors.

Mohammed Salahuddin Consulting Engineering Bureau (MSCEB) will act as the lead consultant for the Bilaj Al Jazayer project, undertaking design and supervision of the project, a press statement from Edamah said. 

Edamah is the real estate wing of Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company. It is tasked with the responsibility of managing and expanding a mixed real estate portfolio in Bahrain, including leisure, entertainment and industrial sectors.

The hospitality properties will create new opportunities for Bahrain’s economy through diversified lifestyle offerings, MSCEB Managing Director Architect Thamer Salahuddin said.

THE BILAJ AL JAZAYER BEACHFRONT PROJECT IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE AREA

Edamah is currently focused on upgrading the Bilaj Al Jazayer beachfront into a prime tourism destination with opportunities for lodging, leisure, and sustainable shopping. The Bilaj Al Jazayer beachfront project is aimed at transforming the southwest region of Bahrain into a centre for tourism, and is the first of its kind in the area. 

The move is aimed at turning the Bilaj Al Jazayer beachfront project into an attractive tourist destination for both Bahraini locals as well as GCC nationals and visitors. It follows the lead of Bahrain’s 2030 vision to preserve public waterfront spaces and promote sustainable tourism in the country.

Bilaj Al Jazayer Hotels and Beach Club1

According to Edamah CEO Amin Alarrayed, “The Bilaj Al Jazayer development is one of the most exciting projects in our portfolio, which will transform Bahrain’s much-loved beach into a world-class waterfront destination and tourist attraction.”

“With the nearby Bahrain International Circuit and other attractions, the area offers significant tourism potential, and this development will set the stage for future investment in holiday residences and commercial, retail, and entertainment facilities adjacent to the property,” Alarrayed also said.

Initial plans for the 1.5 million square metre-wide Bilaj Al Jazayer community feature an upgraded beach and a beachfront boulevard with room for offerings in the space of hospitality, retail and F&B. So far, work on the first stage of the three-kilometre-long beachfront project has been completed, with design work currently ongoing for the second stage.

 

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