Mustafa Pooya, Chief Commercial Officer of Select Group discusses the company’s latest project Marina Gate situated in the Dubai Marina. He talks about the progress made since design and how the building represents community building and comfort
The Residences at Marina Gate, upcoming three-tower project by Dubai-based property developer, Select Group, will be occupying one of the last remaining plots in the coveted neighborhood of Dubai Marina. Looking at the rising towers in Dubai Marina in the last decade, the new development is likely to be the final opportunity to purchase luxury waterfront property in the area.
The project consists of three residential towers with connected walkways for retail and a wide range of recreational amenities including swimming and spa areas located on the ground, mezzanine and podium levels.
Proud of the latest development, the CEO of Select Group Rahail Aslam says: “The AED3 billion three tower project represents our tenth, eleventh and twelve residential development in the Marina.”
He says that Marina Gate overlooks the marina, the sea or the cityscape and this is an exclusive opportunity to purchase a new property in such a prime location.
Not an architectural wonder but a home
Mustafa Pooya, Chief Commercial Officer at the Select Group, says that the location of Marina Gate is prime. It is placed near the original marina next to iconic towers like Cayan Tower and towers by Damac. Though Pooya admits that Marina Gate is not going to be an iconic building praised for its stellar structural design. However he says that creating an iconic building is not really the purpose. “We want to build something classic and timeless.”
Architects on the project, Aedas, have been very thoughtful when it comes to the design. Pooya says that it is simple yet elegant and very well designed. He says that the architects designed the building from the “inside out,” which means that the building is not just designed to look beautiful on the outside but made convenient and enriching to live in. Keeping the future residents in mind, the project is designed to deliver a good quality of life rather than just shallow exterior beauty.
The apartments are designed to add value to the quality of life, Pooya says. For example, the space looks richer with floor to ceiling windows that accentuate the view of Dubai Marina. Architects have made sure that every opportunity the residents have to see the view, must be grabbed.
Pooya also talks about how Select Group has introduced more three bedroom apartments than one and two. He says that though three bedrooms are harder to sell, they are looking at their long term goal when making a conscious decision to increase the number of three bedroom apartments. He says: “The people who choose three bedroom are in the city for the long term, and Select Group wants Marina Gate to build a community of people where people live for long term. The idea is not just to build a project but a community.”
Along with building a community, Pooya also knows the importance of the trending buzzword “sustainable.” The Residences at Marina Gate are being developed in compliance with the Dubai Green Building standards. He says that although they are incorporating quite a few of the LEED requirements, they will not be applying for a LEED certification at this stage.
Efficient design and cost saving
The majority of buildings in the region are notorious for their excessive energy consumption which usually falls short of all internationally recognised benchmarks and environmental recommendations. Aside from lack of occupier energy awareness, there are numerous design reasons for this shortcoming including designer awareness, insufficient modelling, inefficient equipment selection, lack of building management systems, correctly implemented commissioning, etc. However, the main underlying theme usually relates to a lack of innovation by adopting previous inefficient designs to save consultant costs, as well as cuts in construction costs.
For the Marina Gate development, Black & White Engineering has created an efficient MEP design. Hopefully, this energy efficient residential building design and associated cost evaluations can be used as an example to future developers and investors to bring green building discussions on to the agenda before the concept is dismissed as an unaffordable or wishful list.
The mechanical and electrical design incorporates highly efficient plant and equipment which will ensure reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions (when compared to a traditional residential buildings). Residents will also in turn appreciate the savings on their utility bills.
In addition, the efficient design has reduced the number and type of motors in the building as a whole which will contribute to a reduction in noise pollution in the development. The design also necessitated closer control of all aspects of the buildings’ ventilation systems and as such the ‘on-demand’ ventilation is actually capable of providing ventilation when and where it is actually needed, all of which contribute to a more liveable environment.
Construction underway
Select Group has awarded an AED1 billion contract for the first two phases of its flagship Marina Gate development in Dubai Marina. The contract has been awarded to UAE based Alec contractors who have won a number of awards for their projects.
The project will be jointly executed in collaboration with Related Businesses, Alemco and Alec Fitout. The full development consists of three high-end residential towers and retail area and stands at the gateway to Dubai Marina.
The construction of the first tower, Marina Gate I commenced in the beginning of March this year with the second, of the three towers, Marina Gate II construction planned to start four to five months later.
Marina Gate I was launched in April 2014 and was sold out within weeks of the launch. In light of the success of Marina Gate I, Select Group launched Marina Gate II in October 2014, which was also exceptionally well-received by investors. The two projects comprise 881 residential apartments, 19 penthouses and 18 duplex Marina Villas in addition to 100,000 square feet of retail space.
Under the terms of the contract, Alec will provide a clearly defined scope of construction management services to Select Group for what is expected to be a quality development project. The Residences at Marina Gate are valued at over AED4 billion and have a built up area in excess of 3.8 million square feet. The project is scheduled for completion by 2018.
“Awarding a contract of this quantum early on is not only a reflection of our confidence in Dubai’s real estate market, but is a culmination of our detailed financial and technical planning work over the last two years, which has been reinforced by the strong investor appetite for this project,” says Rahail Aslam, CEO of Select Group.
Experience in the region
Select Group, the largest private developer in the Dubai Marina area, has worked on major projects like Marina Gate in the UAE, UK and across central-eastern Europe since its establishment in 2002. Select Group’s has nearly 3,000 property units in total already delivered, and a further 2,000 units to be delivered during the next 12 months.
Pooya says that Select Group has 12 to 13 years of experience in the real estate sector in Dubai, and one place they don’t go wrong is choosing locations for the projects. Every project has been built in Dubai Marina since the company’s formation in 2002, and the reason according to Pooya is because Dubai Marina is one of the most luxurious and liveable locations in Dubai. He says: “What is different about Dubai Marina is that real estate prices vary for almost every building.”
Aslam says, “Select Group’s commitment and passion for property has not waivered even though the sector has faced financial adversity. Our aim as a group is to continue our commitment and passion by providing quality developments at every level.”
As Dubai picks up momentum in the property sector, the time is right for developers to build on consumer and investor confidence.