Gulf Construction Online - Precious jewel

Dubai

An artist’s impression of the Jewel of the Creek.

Precious jewel

01 April 2016

The Dh4-billion ($1.09 billion) Jewel of the Creek development, which aims to revive a historic area of Dubai, has reached a major construction milestone with the first phase, comprising five towers, having been topped out at the end of February.

The waterfront development, which is set to become a tourist attraction in its own right in the Port Saeed area of Deira, is being managed by Roda Hotels, the hospitality arm of Dubai International Real Estate.

The overall project is more than 20 per cent complete. Curtain-walling now being erected on buildings within the first phase of the development and interiors fit-out works will commence in the next few months, Imad W Elias, CEO of Roda Hotels, tells Gulf Construction.

The project is a mixed-used development designed by Kling Consult and Kieferle & Partner Joint Venture (KCKP JV). When complete, it will include four- and five-star hotels, furnished service apartments, and a multi-purpose facility known as ‘The Dome’ which can seat up to 3,000 people, among other facilities. Retail elements will be spread across the development and on the waterfront. There will be nine structures making up Jewel of the Creek, including a no-frills plug-and-play hotel.

The masterplan embraces the location, reflecting the waves and steady movement of the creek. “This location will help to revive the entire Deira area – it will be linked by bridges to Deira City Centre, Dubai Creek Golf Club and to the monorail,” he says.

Owned by Dubai International Real Estate, Jewel of the Creek occupies a 125,700-sq-m site on the banks of Dubai Creek, between Floating Bridge and Maktoum Bridge. Apart from its spectacular location, the development has also seen the creation a water body in partnership with Crystal Lagoons.

“We are going to call it the Roda Lagoon; guests will be able to swim in it. It will be filtered and there’ll be a whole beachfront. Just imagine a beach in the middle of the creek, the region’s largest pool and a 65-berth marina,” Elias says.

The development will have access via a tunnel under Baniyas Road and direct road connections to the floating bridge.

The current phase includes a five-star hotel and four-serviced apartment buildings.

Design & Construction

The project is being developed in a number of phases, with the first phase comprising a five-star hotel, four serviced apartment towers with over 350 apartments, and three levels of waterfront restaurants, bars and retail outlets, as well as one of the largest multi-purpose domes in the area – again with retail, events and functions capabilities. There will be about 22 restaurants in the complex, across a mix of international brands.

Under a Dh3-billion ($816.8 million) contract awarded in June 2014, Habtoor Leighton Group is currently working on the superstructure of these buildings. Work on Phase One is scheduled to be completed in August 2017.

Its current contract – known as Package 8 – includes a man-made island hosting five buildings (A1 to A5), including the five-star hotel and four serviced apartment buildings. The buildings rise to a maximum of 18 floors.

A1 will house the five-star luxury hotel comprising 431 guestrooms. Overlooking a large promenade, the hotel will also have facilities such as banqueting and meeting rooms, spa, swimming pool and gym, and food and beverage outlets.

A2 to A4 are three identical buildings offering hotel serviced accommodation ranging from one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Each building will have its own pool decks and facilities. These buildings sit on a two-level podium housing food and beverage (F&B) outlets.

A5 offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and will connect to the marina hub and will also have food and beverage outlets.

The superstructure of these buildings sits on a four-level basement offering 6,000 parking spaces. There are multiple entry and exit points for each basement level.

Waterfront attraction ... the development will be managed by Roda Hotels.

The second phase is under design and will be completed in September 2018. It includes the mainland phase that consists of a four-star hotel with 403 rooms, also operated by Roda, with beautiful and fashionable Andalusian interiors. It also includes two non-alcoholic hotels, a 405-room three-star hotel with the ‘plug and play concept’ Elias says, which will be a self-service lifestyle brand.

Externally, the architecture of Jewel of Creek is very modern, but on the inside the hotel interiors and furnishing will reflect old Arabia.

“The architectural design reflects the modernism of the development, and the building proportions and positioning are designed to keep the views across the creek open,” says Elias. “They have been designed to incorporate a projecting cantilever construction process to enhance the structures and provide an extraordinary promenade with 360-degree water views.

“When guests approach us in the daytime, they will be first hit the beach, the lagoon, the landscaping, the marina and when they enter the hotel, they will feel they are part of a very authentic Arabian hotel bringing back the history of the creek through the lighting, the interiors, the furnishing, etc.

“At night, the experience will be completely different; there will be illumination and there will be dancing fountains in the creek, and lots of food and beverage experiences from around the world,” he says.

The project has also been designed to be more sustainable. “We have employed solar panels, guest room management systems (GRMS) systems, and the latest technology in lighting and controls systems. We have designed, where possible and practical, energy recovery and low energy components,” says Elias.