An artist's perspective of a typical villa.
Low-cost housing on the fast track
As part of an ambitious government plan to build 10,000 villas over the next decade, a 223-villa complex has been completed in Al Barsha in Dubai, UAE. GCM focuses on the techiques used in its construction.
01 October 2001
A new huge complex of villas has gone up in Dubai as part of a government drive to provide low-cost housing to UAE nationals.
The 223-villa project at Al Barsha is a project managed by Union Properties under the government's Private Housing Finance Scheme.
Work on the Dh107 million ($29.15 million) project was completed recently and tenants have started to move in.
The complex covers an area of 2.71 million sq ft near the Al Quoz Area and has a total built-up area of 671,888 sq ft.
Construction work on the Dh107 million ($29.15 million) project started in November 1999 and was completed recently, says Raj Ailawadhi, project manager for Union Properties.
The project was completed ahead of schedule and handing over of the villas began in July, he adds.
To date, some 40 tenants have already moved in and the others are in the process of occupying their villas.
The development comprises a total of 223 villas, which will be occupied by UAE national families.
"Based on a master plan developed by the Dubai Municipality, the scheme allows for a total of 223 individual plots with an average size of 12,000 sq ft per plot," says Ailawadhi. "A network of 10-m-wide internal roads connects the plots with the main roads."
Each villa is centrally air-conditioned and has a built-up area of around 3,000 sq ft. It comprises a ground and a first floor, including men's majlis and women's majlis, each covering 210 sq ft, guest room (140 sq ft), three bedrooms - the master bedroom being 215 sq ft in area - dining room, kitchenette, servant's quarter, and a garage area for two cars.
Each villa has its privacy ensured by a 2 m high boundary wall.
Amenities such as mosques, schools and health clinics are planned to be built by the local authorities at a later stage.
Abdul Hamid Moukayed, senior project manager states that the client's objective in developing this project was to provide housing, on government granted land, for UAE nationals over the age of 21 years through loans offered by Emirates Bank International.
Over 2,000 villas have so far been built under the Private Housing Finance Scheme, which was launched by the Dubai government in 1993. The government hopes to build over 10,000 villas over the next decade under the scheme, which is being run by Emirates Bank International.
Among the challenges set by the project was keeping costs low and meeting the contract completion date at the highest quality of finishes possible, Moukayed says.
"By constructing a large number of villas under one contract, the adoption of cost-saving construction methods and meticulous design and planning, it was possible to meet the project's financial targets and minimize the cost for each villa,'' he explains.
Due of time constraints, a special tunnel form technique was used to build the superstructure and reduce the time of structure formation.
Elaborating on the technique, Moukayed says: "Using the tunnel form technique, the side walls of a room can be cast along with the roof which reduces the time required for construction and the quantity of material needed such as scaffolding and other temporary support systems."
Finishes on external walls comprise a special paint heavy texture with weatherproof coating. Windows are double-glazed, flooring comprises ceramics. All villas have false ceilings to conceal the central air-conditioning system.
The consultant on the project was Arex-Winner Joint Ventures. Arab Technical Construction was the main contractor and MEP contractor. Some of the subcontractors on the project were Bauer for piling works; Al Gurg Leigh's Paints for painting; Multiforms for uPVC works; Romeo Design for kitchen cabinets and wardrobes; Delux Corporation for handrails; and Tricon for roofing and waterproofing.
