Abu Dhabi Announces More Projects!

The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) announced that 13 development projects covering over four million sqm were approved during the first quarter of the year, with 70% of this area being residential.

Five of these approved projects were Master Plans, with the remaining eight being detailed Project Plans. A Master Plan is defined as separated multiple buildings, with a road network and community facilities, which must meet certain requirements and standards based on the size of the development. A detailed Project Plan is defined as a single building with no road network, but can include multiple buildings connected by a podium, and requires no community facilities.

One of the biggest project approvals was for Aldar Properties’ Al Raha Beach East Master Plan. Al Raha Beach is a mixed-use development being constructed adjacent to the E10 Highway on Abu Dhabi Mainland, close to Yas Island. The development consists of reclaimed land along the coast with a series of canals and islands interlinked by boulevards creating a unique waterfront community stretching over 20 kilometers.

Al Raha Beach East is the first phase of the overall Al Raha Beach development and will provide over 3,000 apartments, townhouses and villas as well as 50,000 sqm of prime Grade A office space.

Another large Master Plan project approval was for further development of the Petroleum Institute on the Abu Dhabi Mainland, which will continue its focus on educating Emiratis in areas of resource exploration and field development, gas and petrochemical production and processing, and other engineering and geosciences applications. The new enhancements to the campus will include a new male undergraduate center, a new research center and research park, and a Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program and residential blocks. The Petroleum Institute project will be developed by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

Master Plans for UAE National residential projects were approved for Aldar Properties’ Al Shabahat development in Al Ain (for sale to UAE Nationals), and the Bida Al Mutawa development (which will be developed by Musanada as part of the UAE National Housing Program) in Al Gharbia, which collectively will offer over 240 villas, as well as community centers, parks and mosques, to UAE Nationals.

Also approved was the Al Hai Al Tejari project in Al Gharbia, which was announced at the Al Gharbia Development Forum in Abu Dhabi. The project is a mixed-use development at the center of Ghayathi City, located on the main road that connects the major settlements of the Western Region.  It will include a town center, office and retail space, residential apartments and a cinema, and will vastly improve the lifestyle of the existing community in that area.

The remaining eight approvals were for detailed Project Plans, which included Farglory’s EW11 development on Al Maryah Island and Aldar Properties’ Shams Abu Dhabi development on Al Reem Island, both residential projects.

In the education sector, a Project Plan for the new Institute of Applied Technology campus in Al Ain was approved, which will comprise a vocational high school and university for up to 2,400 female Emirati students, and will have a 2 Pearl Rating under the Estidama sustainability program.

A detailed Project Plan for an extension to Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, which will add an additional 135,000 sqm to the existing 34,500 sqm of the current campus, to serve a total of 3,000 students and 762 faculty and staff when completed, was also approved. The new campus will include Abu Dhabi’s first Medical School, an integrated Engineering College and Research & Development facilities, and will also provide students with world-class facilities such as an auditorium, students center and sports center. The University also intends to enlarge their current Discovery Center to 1,800 sqm to encourage public involvement in science and technology, with the ultimate goal of establishing Abu Dhabi as a knowledge-driven city.

Mohamed Al Khadar, Executive Director of Development Review & Estidama, UPC, said: “These approved projects bring us closer to achieving the goals of Abu Dhabi Vision 2030. The Development Review team is very careful and deliberate in its evaluation of all project proposals; each one must adhere to our regulations and guidelines for planning Complete Sustainable Communities and take into account environmental, societal, cultural and economic factors, thereby ensuring that every new development is in line with the overall vision for the Emirate.”

Since 2007, the UPC’s Development Review Team has delivered 432 projects and master plans covering an area of 50 million sqm. In addition to the above, these developments include Zayed University (Zayed City), Al Maryah Island, the Guggenheim (Saadiyat Island), Abu Dhabi World Trade Center and Yas Waterworld, among many others.