Gulf Construction Online

Dubai Review

Desert Oasis

01 April 2010

AL BARARI has started handing over the first completed villas in its $6.4 billion residential project located in Dubai’s royal enclave of Nad Al Sheba, with more than 35 families now calling the botanical haven home.

Built on 14.2 million sq ft of natural and landscaped gardens and bordering protected wildlife reserves, the first-class residential sanctuary is described as the lowest density development in the Middle East with the built-up area comprising just 20 per cent of the site.
The project is being developed in two phases. Phase One comprises 287 villas while the second phase will be a mixed-use development comprising commercial, cultural and apartment living precinct.

The villas sport four distinct architectural styles. BELOW: bin Zaal ... key focus on amenities.

The villas sport four distinct architectural styles – Acacia, Bromellia, Camellia and Dahlia. The villas have a built-up area ranging from 12,713 sq ft to 16,448 sq ft and feature living and dining rooms, open family living areas, en-suite bedrooms, basement storage, a study, powder room, home automation, luxury fittings and finishes, large, private gardens, swimming pool, three-car garage, roof-top terraces, al fresco entertainment areas, pool-pavilion with shower, maid’s quarters and secluded courtyards.
The project will also feature 34 themed gardens, with six of them – Balinese, contemporary, Mediterranean, Renaissance, Water Garden and Woodland – being located in the villa precinct (Phase One). The remaining 28 gardens will be part of Phase Two. The project also features more than 14 km of naturally-filtered lakes, streams, cascades, waterways, pedestrian-only alleyways, playgrounds and family areas, and the region’s largest privately-owned plant nursery.

So far, 70 per of the first phase has been sold and the developer has handed over 35 villas in Phase One of the project. At the moment, the developer is handling between five to 10 handovers a week, with the complete handover to take place by the end of this year.
Masterplanning for the second phase of Al Barari is currently in progress.
“The final completion date is not yet confirmed, but we are confident that once we start the development of this phase it will be completed on track,” says Mohammad bin Zaal, CEO of Al Barari.
“The key focus for us this year will be the community amenities to service the residents now moving into Al Barari. This development will consist of a vibrant cosmopolitan precinct with exclusive shopping facilities, a suq-style market, cafes and restaurants, boutique stores, a mosque and cultural facilities such as an art gallery, a movie theatre and outdoor performance spaces. This has all been rolled into Phase One’s construction programme, which is scheduled to be finished by early next year,” he says.
“Inspired by the desert oasis and wilderness, which lends its name to Al Barari, the masterplan is designed to create a haven of greenery and waterways within natural untouched surroundings,” says bin Zaal.

Greenery and waterways ... a distinctive feature of Al Barari.

“What sets the project apart from others is the beauty and quality of the luxury villas and the vast array of themed gardens and landscaped avenues,” he says.
“Creating a desirable address is as much about offering a unique design concept as it is about driving long-term asset appreciation. As a company, Al Barari strives for sustainability across ecology, investment and the community. The project has been conceived as a self-sufficient development; and as the neighbourhood grows and the retail and resort facilities open up, it will continue to flourish. This will have a positive impact on property values,” bin Zaal adds.
Commenting about the company’s performance, he says: “Like every property development company in the world, we have not been immune to the economic downturn. However, the market value of our properties has largely remained unchanged, because of our considered approach to value creation.
“Being a zero-debt company means we are not financially burdened. Rather, we have been able to take advantage of the slowdown in the construction sector to expedite the project’s progress, and even to fast-track some elements, such as the community amenities.”
“We have invested heavily in developing the gardens and amenities to optimise the Al Barari lifestyle experience for our early residents. This is really important because we are selling much more than bricks and mortar. Al Barari introduces a new way of life by bringing people together, giving back family time. Although our additional amenities are driving up costs, we have made a conscious decision not to pass these onto investors at this stage,” bin Zaal concludes.