Gulf Construction Online - Major projects launched at Palm

UAE Focus

Ground-breaking ceremony for the Taj Exotica.

Major projects launched at Palm

01 April 2006

A number of projects including a monorail and two major hotel developments, were flagged off at The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai last month with the signing of construction contracts and ground-breaking ceremonies.

For the Palm Monorail, a joint groundbreaking ceremony was held by Nakheel, the local property development company and Japanese contractors, Marubeni Corporation early last month at the site of Atlantis, The Palm, a water-themed resort.
The Palm Monorail, which will take three years to complete, will serve as an effective transit system, between the Gateway Station at the trunk of The Palm Jumeirah and the Atlantis Station on the crescent, calling at two intermediate stations.
The mechanical and electrical system and monorail vehicles will be engineered, manufactured and commissioned by Japan-based leading railway system manufacturer, Hitachi. The company's expertise and experience includes the delivery of high-speed train systems and monorail systems to many cities around the world including Taiwan, China, Malaysia and Iran.
To develop the Monorail, the Marubeni Corporation will also work with a civil and building work partner – a joint venture between the Ohbayashi Corporation, and Oriental Construction. Ohbayashi, a renowned construction company in Japan, has already started work in Dubai on the Dubai Metro project, while Oriental Construction has extensive experience in the construction of monorail structures.
The Palm Monorail project will be driverless, although an attendant will be on board at all times.
Meanwhile, leading property developer ETA has launched construction on the Dh1.2 billion ($327 million) Taj Exotica Resort and Spa and The Grandeur Residences located at the Palm Jumeirah Crescent with a ground-breaking ceremony held last month.
The projects, which are being developed in partnership with one of Asia's largest five-star hotel chain, the Taj Group of Hotels, include:
* The Taj Exotica Resort and Spa is a plush five-star hotel complete with a host of world-class facilities. The highlight of the 232-room hotel is the internationally-renowned 'Jiva Spa' which is expected to be the largest spa in the Middle East, comprising single and double treatment suites, beauty treatment rooms, meditation and yoga pavilions, relaxation pools and fully equipped gyms; and
* The Grandeur Residences – modelled on a Rajasthani palace – is a luxury residential complex designed to provide a regal lifestyle to residents at The Palm. It comprises 200 freehold fully-furnished one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments, including 10 beachfront villas. The one-bedroom apartments cover a floor space of 1,121 to 1,236 sq ft while the two-bedroom apartments range from 1,704 to 2,148 sq ft. All three-bedroom apartments range from 2,658 to 2,676 sq ft.
The second hotel project that is set to get off the ground at The Palm Jumeirah is the Dh1 billion plus ($272.29 million) Palm Golden Mile project. IFA Hotels & Resorts, a leader in the development of prestigious mixed-use resorts worldwide, and joint-venture partner Istithmar, a Dubai-based major investment house have just appointed Al Shafar General Contracting Company as the main contractor for the project.
The Palm Golden Mile, scheduled for completion by the first quarter of 2008, is located along the centre of the trunk on The Palm Jumeirah and will include an international shopping, office and residential destination covering some 60,000 sq m.
It will offer a broad mix of luxury apartments, townhouses and penthouses, boasting prime waterfront living. The residential properties are located above the retail areas, which will comprise some 220 of the world's most upscale stores and restaurants, designer boutiques, outdoor cafes, luxury shops and formal dining eateries.
There will be 10 buildings within The Palm Golden Mile. The bulk excavations, shoring and piling for Buildings 7 to 10 have now been completed and the basement levels of these buildings are now being excavated while the dewatering equipment is reducing the seawater level inside the retaining wall by 9 m, says a spokesman for the developer.
NSCC/Soletanche Bachy, awarded the contract for specialist works worth Dh60.5 million, have currently completed about 3 km of reinforced concrete retaining walls surrounding the site. They have also completed 900 bored piles through 20 m-deep sand fill, previously placed by the dredging contractor whilst forming the Palm. The piles are anchored into the rock layer on the seabed.
• Dubai-based specialist interiors company Depa, a division of Depa United Group, has started work on the prestigious Palm Jumeirah Shoreline apartments, following a contract awarded to it by Nakheel.
Due for completion by the end of September, this is the most challenging deadline for project achievement in Depa's history within the region, if not the world, says a spokesman for the company.
Depa has been commissioned to complete the interior design and complete fitting out of 10 apartment blocks that comprise a significant portion of the Shoreline complex. These blocks consist of six sea-side buildings of 724 apartments, 12 penthouses and three clubhouses as well as four channel-side buildings which include 486 apartments and eight penthouses.