UAE Landscape Architect

ABU DHABI // The sales price of residential houses and apartments has risen 53 per cent in the past 12 months.Research by property consultants Colliers International for year ending March 31 shows the prices rose by more than half compared to 18 per cent in the same period in the previous year.Colliers also found that occupancy levels have reached 98 per cent in the capital and that rents for new leases would continue to rise as the market will remain under supplied ... Read More

The UAE may soon be the world’s premiere home for theme parks as an increasing number of entertainment giants such as Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment are teaming up with local developers to build mega resorts in the country. However, as billions of dollars are being poured into these projects, some experts are raising concerns about whether these parks will be as successful as hoped. SOURCE: AMEinfo.com – UAE prepares for theme park boom - UAE Focus. Read More

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (Seattle Times) — Along the creek that runs through the heart of old Dubai, hundreds of smartly dressed Indians waited in line barefoot to enter a Hindu temple on a recent weekend. Nearby were joggers, romantic couples, picnicking families — but hardly any of Dubai's Muslim Arab citizens.Across the waterway in the Deira district, thousands of young Asian workers were out on the streets, drinking tea, shopping or just chatting. Some were calling family back home, shouting into ... Read More

Abu Dhabi plans to build a transport network including a new airport and railway system to connect its western region with neighbouring emirates and stimulate the area's economy, officials said on Sunday.A masterplan, to be ready by early 2009 at the latest, would outline details of the transport network and the investments to be made, Mohamed Hareb Al-Yousef, assistant undersecretary of Aviation at Abu Dhabi's Department of Transport said.Mott Mcdonald and Steer Davies Gleave are the consultants for the masterplan, he said. Read ... Read More

Khaleej Times Online reports that according to Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad (Minister of the Environment and Water)the government of the United Arab Emirates has taken initiatives to combat any environmental degradation amid booming development activities.Replying to the question of how sustainable is the development of Dubai and UAE, he told a Press conference at Dubai Police Academy recently that stringent measures had been taken to prevent contaminated water supply, particularly from toxic pollutants, and to conserve water and energy.He said the ministry is ... Read More

Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) today officially announced that it has awarded the development contract for the first phase of its Dubai Trade Centre District (DTCD) to Al Jaber L.E.G.T. Engineering & Contracting (ALEC) in a deal valued at AED 3.35 billion.The contract will see ALEC take on the responsibility for the construction of Phase One of the integrated commercial destination, which will include over 240,000 square metres of Grade A office space, along with a premium range of meeting, retail and ... Read More

Multinational property developer Azizi Investments yesterday said it has purchased over 920,000 square feet of land at the Palm Jebel Ali and Dubai World Central (DWC) to develop real estate projects worth Dh3.5 billion."These acquisitions form a central part of Azizi's three-year strategy to increase its property development portfolio to an estimated 165 million square feet by 2010. Read more @ the SOURCE: Gulfnews: Azizi plans Dh3.5b projects in Dubai. Read More

The administrative capital is Abu Dhabi; the commercial capital is Dubai. In China, there is Beijing and then there is Shanghai. In Germany, Frankfurt and Berlin. America, Washington DC and New York City. This “separation of powers” between cities is not a unique phenomenon.Investment in infrastructure is high onboth Abu Dhabi and Dubai’s to-do lists with new regulatory and executive authorities announced almost weekly, it seems. While it is Dubai’s local art scene that is thriving, it is Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island ... Read More

Participants in this highly interactive session identified the key blockages to creating greener supply chains for urban development. In a series of small breakout groups, participants built their own supply chains focusing on the specific needs of, and constraints and enablers, in the Middle East. Supply chains for a green building, desalination plant, solar park, urban waste recycling facility and public transport facility were mapped, compared and analysed to identify the main bottlenecks.Key outcomes include:• Understanding the supply chain for sustainable and ... Read More

A seminar will be organised by Dubai Municipality (Tuesday, 20 May 2008) to discuss main issues and solution strategies in key areas of wind engineering for the analysis and design of tall buildings in the Gulf region. The seminar, titled "Wind Engineering for Tall Buildings in the Gulf" comes as part of the civic body's initiative to offer a continuous learning environment for the local architects and consultant engineers. It will be held at City Hall from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., ... Read More