PIER 8 photos,Dubai Marina

Burj Al Nujoom photos,Downtown Burj Dubai

Business Bay bridge project,Dubai

IB Tower photos, Business Bay, Dubai

Contributions to architecture, culture, environmental awareness and regional relevance key criteria for Cityscape Middle East Real Estate Awards

‘Remarkable’ developments in MENA to be honoured

Contributions to architecture, culture, environmental awareness and regional relevance key criteria for Cityscape Middle East Real Estate Awards

The search is on for unique projects that exemplify the remarkable real estate development made by both the private and public sectors throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The Cityscape Awards for Real Estate in the Middle East and North Africa will be made during a gala dinner at Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, on 18 April 2010 attended by senior executives and personalities from the international real estate industry.

The awards are held in conjunction with Cityscape Abu Dhabi from 18-21 April 2010 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and provide an insight into current and future projects in the region. The final deadline for entries is 31 March 2010.

The closing date for entries is 31 March 2010 and all entries will be judged on their contribution to world architectural culture, invention and imagination, respect for people, the planet, context, environmental awareness and relevance to the Middle East and North Africa,” said Chris Speller, Group Director Cityscape.

“The awards recognise companies with projects that have shown outstanding performance and have made exemplary contributions to the region’s real estate development. The awards are firmly established as the leading real estate awards programme in the region - attested by the overwhelming response and quality submissions already received this year,” added Speller.

The award categories in some cases will be separated into built projects, that is those that are already complete and future projects, which represents those that are still incomplete or indeed still on the drawing board. There are a total of five categories with eight awards as follows;

Best Sustainable Development Award - for a project which has demonstrated outstanding commitment to sustainability in terms of its design, development and construction.

Commercial, Office and Retail Project Award - (built and future) for commercial and retail developments hotels, leisure facilities, office buildings and commercial facilities that show an innovative approach to the overall strategy of the development.

Residential Project Award - (built and future) for residential projects that show an innovative approach to the overall strategy of the development.

Mixed Use Project Award - (built and future) for mixed use developments that show an innovative approach to the overall strategy of the development.

Best Urban Design and Master Planning Award - for a project which best encourages or promotes a sense of place or significantly benefits a neighborhood, town, city or region.

A high level judging panel has been assembled for the awards consisting of seventeen eminent regional and international industry experts. They include amongst others;

Dr Abdulgader Othman Amir, Vice President Jeddah Development and Urban Regeneration Company; Blair Hagkull, Managing Director, Jones Lang LaSalle MENA; David Roberts, CEO, Aedas; Jeffrey Willis, Chairman, Emirates Green Building Council; Jeremy Oates, General Manager MPM Properties/Burooj Properties; Dr Mohammed Dulaimi, PhD Construction Management, The British University in Dubai; Nick Witty, COO Middle East, DTZ; Peter Drummond, Chief Executive, BDP; Rashad Mohammed Bukhash, Director of Architectural Heritage Department, Dubai Municipality; Steven Miller, Managing Director Dubai, Fxfowle Architects; Sultan Faden, Head of Founding Group, Saudi Green Building Council.


The Department of Municipal Affairs is associate sponsor for the Cityscape Middle East Real Estate Awards with headline sponsors Boomerang Automated Parking and Self Storage, Gaggenau, Signature Kitchen and Jotun Paints.

Headline sponsor of Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2010 is Mubadala Real Estate and Hospitality. Platinum sponsors are Al Qudra Real Estate, Al Maabar and Aldar Properties. Associate sponsor is the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipal Affairs.


For more details about the complete judges’ panel, award categories and sponsors plus general information about Cityscape Abu Dhabi, please visit www.cityscapeabudhabi.com


About Cityscape Abu Dhabi
Cityscape Abu Dhabi, the International Real Estate Investment and Development Event, provides a platform for regional and international real estate community to come together to network, create partnerships and discuss the future of real estate. It is part of a portfolio of Cityscape events in the Middle East, Asia and the Americas organised by IIR Middle East (www.iirme.com), the largest trade and consumer event business in the region and part of the Informa Group plc (www.informa.com)

Real estate to account for USD 250 billion of planned projects for the region from 2010 to 2013

Real estate to account for USD 250 billion of planned projects for the region from 2010 to 2013

Shaikhani Developments aims to leverage stability of the region’s real estate market

March 30, 2010

The real estate industry is expected to account USD 250 billion of the planned projects, or more than one-third across all sectors in the region from 2010 to 2013, which collectively amounts to USD 717 billion, according to latest market statistics. The past several years have also witnessed the majority of GCC investments directed towards the real estate segment, while data on future planned projects sourced from MEED Projects show that the growth trend will continue in the coming years. In line with positive projections on the market, Shaikhani Developments, the development, construction and project management arm of the Shaikhani Group, has announced its aims to leverage the stability of the region’s real estate industry and establish a leading position in the construction sector.

In addition to the real estate sector, the region is also witnessing productivity in other industries, with the construction of a considerable number of hospitals, roads, railways, and airports in full swing across the GCC. Accordingly, Shaikhani Developments is also looking at extending its expertise to the infrastructure sector, where it can leverage its experience in building a wide variety of projects, from high-rise structures to mixed-use developments.

“Amidst the positive projections on the regional real estate scenario, we at Shaikhani Developments have aligned all our efforts with our strategy to create and maintain dedicated partnerships with clients by attentively monitoring all processes from start to finish, thereby ensuring maximum level of quality and client satisfaction,” said Rizwan Shaikhani, Managing Director, Shaikhani Developments. “Furthermore, we are also setting our sights on the burgeoning infrastructure sector, with recent reports indicating that infrastructure projects in the GCC will reach USD 205 billion by 2013. Looking ahead, we are planning to undertake a major expansion plan across the region’s most potential-laden markets, including Saudi Arabia, where USD 105 billion in infrastructure investments is set to rise within the next three years.”

Shaikhani Developments leverages the Shaikhani Group’s extensive experience in delivering high quality projects across the globe, which spans over three decades. Merging the latest technologies in construction with industry best standards in environmental-friendliness, health and safety, Shaikhani Developments employs a team of expert engineers, technical staff and office personnel, who are committed to building properties of the highest standards. The company’s services portfolio includes services within real estate development, construction and project management, including residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects within the UAE.

“Our focus will be to provide high quality work on schedule and within budget, and we intend to do this by employing techniques and operational processes that evolve and sufficiently address the demands of the market. At present, we are primarily targeting Dubai due to its sizeable construction activities both on-going and planned, and we are currently in discussion with several potential clients in the emirate. We are also looking forward to collaborating with government agencies, which will play an important role in the infrastructural development in the UAE and across the region,” concluded Shaikhani.

About Shaikhani Developments:
Comprised by a powerhouse team of dynamic innovators, Shaikhani Developments is focused on providing landmark property developments and affordable, groundbreaking investment options for its clients. With a polished approach to delivering high return investments with low risk, the property development arm of the Shaikhani Group leverages thirty years of industry expertise of its parent company. Shaikhani Developments offers a range of services within real estate development, construction and project management, including residential, commercial, and mixed use projects within the UAE. Guided by its philosophy – ‘Envisioning Opportunities’ – the ISO-certified company maintains the highest global standards for quality and environmental management to provide premium quality properties and an elite level of customer service to contribute to the growth of its clients’ assets.

Burj Al Alam site photos, Business Bay, Dubai

Empire Heights construction photos, Business Bay, Dubai

Mercure Grand Hotel photos, Jumeirah Lakes Towers,JLT,Dubai

Jumeirah Heights , Dubai

Jumeirah Bay photos, Jumeirah Lakes Towers,JLT,Dubai

Jumeirah Business Centre 9, JBC 9, Jumeirah Lakes Towers,JLT,Dubai

Infinity Tower photos,Dubai Marina

Botanica Tower photos,Dubai Marina

23 Marina Tower photos,Dubai Marina

The Torch and Princess Tower,Dubai Marina

Dubai Municipality adopts Property Manager System in collaboration with Dubai eGovernment

Dubai Municipality adopts Property Manager System in collaboration with Dubai eGovernment

System to automate management of 4,237 real estate units

March 24, 2010

Dubai eGovernment has announced that it has integrated the Property Manager System within the Government Resource Planning (GRP) system used by Dubai Municipality’s Asset Management Department-Investment section. The department oversees the development of assets, properties and related resources within the municipality.
The GRP system is offering the Property Manager System in its capacity as the department responsible for providing shared solutions and applications for managing government-related financial, logistic, administrative, and human resource operations within the local departments of the Dubai Government. GRP provides a framework of overall integration with all planning units and systems in areas such as payroll, payments, inventory and asset management.

Property Manager System’s benefits include the automation of property leasing transactions such as application or renewal of lease contracts, transferring of applications to a third party, and the migration of rental, property and client data to a new and highly accurate system. The migrated data covered 2,542 clients, 3,395 lease contracts, and 4,237 real estate units.

“Our deployment of the Property Manager System at the Dubai Municipality reflects our full cooperation with government bodies. It also affirms the important role of Dubai eGovernment’s shared systems in maximizing government resources and sustaining the success of the GRP system. This cooperative effort supports the enhancement of eServices and transactions covering property management and service integration in a manner that complements the goals set by the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015. Such initiatives promote excellence within government and enable public sector employees to efficiently perform their tasks, thus advancing government services that meet the highest international standards,” said Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment.

“We would like to emphasize our commitment to coordinating with Dubai’s government bodies and departments in order to further centralize eServices in accordance with the aims of the eGovernment initiative. We intend to raise the level of internal efficiency to ensure high-quality services that ease the lives of citizens, residents, visitors and tourists and reinforce Dubai's position as a leading regional and international economic hub,” he added.

Bin Humaidan noted that Dubai eGovernment relied on the expertise of local government personnel and the cooperation of the Dubai Municipality IT department to implement the system in a manner that further promotes electronic integration, optimizes the use of human and financial resources, and saves time, effort and money.

Meanwhile, Hussain Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality said: “Our adoption of Dubai eGovernment’s Property Manager System is a vital step towards our mutual goal of upgrading services and infrastructure in order to reinforce Dubai’s standing as modern city and a leading regional and global economic, cultural and social destination. We have total confidence in the capability of the new system to efficiently facilitate leasing transactions. This partnership has motivated us to exert extra effort to collaborate with Dubai eGovernment in developing solutions and high-quality services in line with the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, of establishing an integrated, knowledge-based community.”

The GRP system provides the electronic infrastructure needed to achieve integration among Dubai’s government departments and bodies under the emirate’s vision of electronic transformation. The system covers the following areas: financial systems, HR administration systems, payroll systems, supply chains, asset administration and shared services system for staff management, in addition to the added-value systems such as eJob portal eLearning administration. These systems accommodate numerous eServices for the Dubai Government’s around 68,000 employees, such as presenting administrative applications, monitoring leaves, communicating with superiors, and facilitating collaborative work. These services also enhance the practical knowledge of employees, thus raising their professional experience and expertise.

Anantara Towers plot photos,Jumeirah Lakes Towers,JLT,Dubai