Dubai Marina, Dubai.

Dubai Marina (formerly named Westside Marina) is truly one of the most ambitious urban development projects ever undertaken. The concept is to create a modern canal oriented "Venice in the desert". The project was initiated under the supervision of H.H. Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Head of UAE Cabinet, Ruler of Dubai and H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The Dubai Marina project is headed up by Emaar Properties' Chairman H.E. Mohamed Bin Ali Alabbar. The Dubai Marina is located on the west side of Dubai in Jumeira encompassing a total area of 60 million square metres and commanding uninterrupted views of the Arabian Gulf. It will eventually house a community of over 100,000 residents, and a bustling commercial district. Neighbourhoods will have their own 'town centres' with parks and plazas, cafes and restaurants, hotels and shops, and a host of recreational facilities. All will be located around a meandering marina canal, which will be linked to the Gulf at either end and provide a safe haven for yachts and motorboats. As a construction project, Dubai Marina is a massive undertaking. To be phased over a 10 to 14 year period, the entire development is forecast to cost at least US$4.4 billion. Dubai Marina was inaugurated with the completion of the marina canal. This canal opens to the Gulf and will provide the residential and commercial developments (i.e. Emirates Hills, Emirates Lakes, Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Internet City) with uninterrupted sea frontage. With its extensive bridges and yacht mooring facilities, the marina will add significant value to the nearby projects which will consist of six separate districts to be built in phases. Phase 1 of the development (now under construction) includes six prestigious residential high-rise towers, two of which will be 37 stories high, and the remaining four towers will be 28, 24, 20 and 16 stories high accommodating over 1,200 apartments, waterfront villas, and parking for 2,000 vehicles. Talbot Consultants International Inc. were recently retained by HOK Canada to assist them in designing the centrepiece for Phase 2 of the project; an 825,000 sq. ft. mixed-use "Town Centre". Based on our retail planning experience in the Middle East we were asked to advise HOK & Emaar on the layout and design, potential local & international anchors and the optimum selection, sizing & clustering of the retailers. We were also asked to advise on the sizing, layout and composition of the entertainment, food court and hotel components. Since the potential customers will primarily be residents (both local and expat) from the surrounding residential towers, office workers (both local and expat) from the adjacent Internet City and international tourists from the adjacent hotels particular attention was paid to the direct linkages to these areas so as to facilitate easy customer access & egress. The project is currently in the final design stage.

See Also: Dubai Marina

(The DUBAI MARINA, Dubai has been one of the projects where TALBOT CONSULTANTS INTERNATIONAL INC. has provided consulting services for the retail operations. For more details on this and how we can help you, please contact us at info@talbotconsultants.com )