Back on track

bacl-on-track-dubai

Few currently active developments have experienced as troubled a gestation as the Dubai Pearl. The self-contained city-within-a-city, which sits near the coast at the entrance to the Palm Jumeirah and represents one of the largest private developments in the world, was originally begun by Qatar’s Omnix International in 2003 before being taken over by a consortium led by the Al Fahim Group after work ground to a halt. A major project redesign – which remarkably involved razing the under-construction project to the ground, despite the fact that work on the original 53-storey structure had already reached the 14th floor – was to follow, before the emirate was rocked by the global financial slowdown and subsequent Dubai debt crisis that put a host of projects on the back-burner and led to countless more being cancelled outright.

“Anyone who believes that being eco-conscious is a trend or a fad doesn't understand longevity or sustainability.”
-Chairman Abdul Majeed

It's certainly been a rollercoaster couple of years. Yet despite these setbacks, the Dubai Pearl project is finally back up and running and set to become Dubai's most prestigious address on its rescheduled completion in 2013. As Chairman of the iconic development, Abdul Majeed Ismail Al Fahim drives the project's long-term strategic objectives and, along with Chief Executive Santosh Jospeh, has been a key figure in its revival. "We went for a change of design," he says. "The new design is more sustainable, the traffic impact is much better, and value-creation for the major building is much friendlier." Under Al Fahim's watchful eye, the new owners re-examined what could make the six million square metre area work best; the result is a project that is both unique and sustainable, in every sense of the word.

"Our challenge was to create a new community and to deliver a unique design concept," he explains in a discussion held at the recent Big 5 event in Dubai. "From the start, when we were inviting the different groups of engineers to come up with a work-play-stay-live concept based on environmentally, socially as well as economically sustainable ideas, we wanted to create a living, breathing 24-hour city. So the number one priority was to develop an environmentally sensitive, intelligent design that represents a community-minded and fully-integrated mixed-use development rather than just a group of buildings."

Dubai Pearl's signature structures are its four separate 73-storey towers connected together at the top to form one skyscraper rising 300 metres, while partnerships with luxury brands such as such as Baccarat, Bellagio, MGM Grand and Sky Lofts are testament to the development's lofty ambitions and belief in creating long-term value for its stakeholders. However, just as eye-catching are the project's green credentials; promoting itself as a pedestrian-friendly city, 56 percent of the total land mass is comprised of open space with around 45 percent of the project area earmarked for landscaping. What is more, the main towers of the development are to be constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards - the second highest LEED accreditation, which rates the environmental friendliness of buildings.

"At the Dubai Pearl a state-of-the-art energy management system is being implemented to reduce water consumption, electricity and gas usage," says Al Fahim. "Facilities to encourage recycling of paper, glass, and food waste will be available across the site. Further environmental features include solar power hot water generation, a green roof, a heat recovery system and a district cooling plant using high-efficiency water-cooled chillers. So sustainability is a big focus for us."

And that's not all. Solar power collectors will store solar energy in a storage battery during the day in order to provide power during the dark nights. A unique glass that conserves electricity and resists external heat will be used for the majority of the glazing to improve cooling and energy consumption. The use of motion sensors in common areas will reduce electrical power consumption.  LEDs will be used extensively for lighting, while integrated energy meters will provide digital information on electricity, air conditioning, chilled water consumption and building information management. Water usage reduction will be ensured through the use of low-water-flow-rate fixtures, while recycled gray water produced by the building will be used for irrigation.

"Anyone who believes that being eco-conscious is a trend or a fad doesn't understand longevity or sustainability," explains Al Fahim. "There is no point in embarking on projects that, because of their reliance on fossil fuels, for example, become too expensive to manage and operate in the future. Dubai Pearl has been designed in terms of the sound principles of economic, social and environmental sustainability as it makes good business sense. We are thus able to adapt to changing lifestyle demands, where people have time restrictions and expect quality and style, but not at the expense of convenience."

Indeed, given the development's luxury branding, mixing opulence with efficiency might seem something of a paradox; however, one of the points Al Fahim is keen to emphasise is that sustainability and luxury need not be mutually exclusive concepts. "Quality and luxury do not have to be compromised in the pursuit of sustainability," he explains, before adding that creating a sustainable development is as much about creating long-term value for both investors and residents as it is about going green.

For instance, Dubai Pearl will also feature amenities designed to enhance residents' quality of life, such as rooftop garden terraces, holistic wellness and sports centres, an urban beach club, theatres, a cinema complex, two kilometres of running track, a library and art galleries. "Alongside environmental and financial sustainability, which are of course critical to any developer in today's climate, social sustainability is another key focus of our project," says Al Fahim. "If you are going to put a collection of buildings together without addressing how they are going to work together, it's not really going to be a long-term sustainable solution."

Al Fahim's vision is to create a space where a diverse mix of people can live and grow into thriving and integrated communities; a place where they can raise and educate their families and enjoy quality employment and recreation opportunities. "Dubai Pearl is very much interested in and supportive of putting these integrated communities together," confirms Al Fahim. "Dubai is a cosmopolitan place with over 200 different nationalities working and living within the city; we want them to feel that Dubai Pearl is their home, that it is an integrated development that harnesses the best of the multicultural aspects of Dubai - including, of course, our own traditions as Emiratis. We are saying, 'This is ours together'."

As part of this initiative, the Dubai Pearl has placed a big emphasis on supporting and funding the arts, including musical events, art galleries, fashion shows and the theatre, in line with Al Fahim's belief that such events help bring communities together. In addition, its sponsorship of the Dubai International Film Festival has helped further raise the profile of the development and bring it to the attention of a host of potential investors.

Of course, there are challenges associated with building in Dubai right now - not least in terms of investor confidence and rumours of high default levels. The dive in the regional property market still casts a significant shadow over Dubai, and while property pre-sales at the Dubai Pearl currently top 500, reports of payment defaults among buyers of off-plan units across the Emirate have been well-documented. Al Fahim concedes that such reports are a legitimate concern for developers across Dubai, but believes the approach being taken by his team is helping to minimise any such risk.

"There will inevitably be periods of high and low activity throughout any construction process, but the development remains on schedule and the initial handover is expected to commence by the end of 2013," he says. "Given the size and scale of a development such as Dubai Pearl, it is not unusual for some buyers to potentially default on their payments during the course of the construction process. However, the Dubai Pearl team has worked hard with any investor experiencing difficulties to manage this process appropriately, to try and avoid this from happening wherever possible."

And while the last few years have been difficult from an economic standpoint, Al Fahim believes that his company's focus on sound fundamentals and developing a truly sustainable project will be key to its future success. "The economic environment of the world has changed over the last few years," he concedes, "but when you are working on a sustainable project like Dubai Pearl you always need to factor in the ups and downs of the economy. We have prioritised a number of key areas in order to adapt to the economic scenario: a focus on steady progress in the construction and the delivery of the project; flexible and tailor-made payment plans for our investors; close and transparent relations with our investors and partners; and an intensive campaign to raise awareness on all the project's various components," he continues.

Main construction at the site is being undertaken by the Al Habtoor Leighton Group, which was awarded the contract at the end of 2008, while work on the US$6 billion project began in June 2009. State-of-the-art construction technologies, materials and building techniques are being used, including high-strength concrete, steel trusses and hollow core slabs for the composite construction process of the iconic towers, and heavy lifting techniques using jacking systems for lifting the 'sky palaces' into place on top of the four towers.

In fact, Al Fahim is extremely optimistic regarding where the market in Dubai is heading over the next few years. "Everything that made Dubai special in the eyes of the world is still here; no crime, no taxes, the best infrastructure, growing tourism and the rest," he says. "Dubai is now also more affordable and property prices are very good value for money when compared to most other cities in the world. Dubai remains the hub of the greater region. Dubai International Airport is now ranked as one of the busiest in the world and is growing. There are very few cities in the world with the quality and quantity of first class infrastructure that Dubai has, and this is being improved on a daily basis."

6 million

Sales value of the Dubai Pearl in US$

45%

Percentage of project earmarked for landscaping

12,000

Number of construction jobs that will be created by the build

35,000

Number of additional services jobs that will be created

20 million

Total area of site in square feet

Dubai's jewel

Overlooking the Palm Jumeirah in the heart of the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone, Dubai Pearl sets a new benchmark for sustainable urban communities in Dubai. In creating of a 24 hour living, walkable community where people can work, play and live in one destination, the development will redefine the pulse of the city, providing premium offices, international retail and the highest quality dining and entertainment facilities.

Dubai Pearl's prime location will offer an unparalleled combination of freehold in the convenience of a free zone with luxury, energy efficient sustainability and state-of-the-art technology. It is hoped the development will ultimately provide a home for 9000 people and a workplace for 12,000, and it is expected to be completed in 2013 over three-phases.

On-site infrastructure will be provided by Dubai Pearl, while off-site services will be provided by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Empower, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and the UAE telecom operator DU. Air conditioning, chilled water and all electromechanical requirements will all be handled by engineering services consultants Meinhardt.

As Dubai Pearl is located in a mature urban area, the majority of utilities are already in place. Water supply and drainage system network operation centres for demand allocation are already available, as are electrical substations for load allocation. A study to look into how best to implement district cooling is currently underway.

In addition to this, there will be a fully integrated road system to give buildings a street address and frontage. The development will be connected to public transport by bus and taxi as well as the Dubai Metro. All transport and road networks within the project are private, but fall under RTA jurisdiction.