Summer 2012
Al Barari tennis academy set for opening in the autumn
the farm has become al barari’s new hot spot
work gathers pace on new leisure developments
living gets even easier, with more services
Al Barari has confirmed that the eagerly awaited Tennis Academy will open in October. With 2 all-weather courts, it will offer lessons, as well as organising tournaments for residents.
With its beautiful contemporary architecture, light-filled spaces and serene views – not to mention the delicious menu – The Farm has been an immediate hit with residents and visitors alike.
Construction work is often seen as a negative but for Al Barari residents, one building site is only good news: the Gym, Spa and Pool complex is rapidly taking shape and will open early next year.
Al Barari’s in-house facilities management division, Wojood, has added a raft of new services, ranging from window cleaning and laundry to painting, joinery and plumbing.
Al Barari in numbers
6
The number of community botanical gardens in the finished Phase One precinct. The lush green spaces have become havens for wildlife, and encourage residents to enjoy the outdoors
4
The number of different villa styles within the Al Barari development. Buyers can choose between Acacia, Bromellia, Camellia and Dahlia, each style distinguished by its own design elements, internal layout and architectural details
50
The number of dishes offered on the lunch and dinner menus atThe Farm. The emphasis is on fresh and light seasonal dishes that use organic produce when possible
75
The approximate percentage of Al Barari residents who work in the financial and legal sectors in DIFC. As well as offering privacy and quality, Al Barari has very fast and easy access to DIFC and Downtown
80
The percentage of space that is ‘green’ in Al Barari, making it one of the lowest-density residential developments in the UAE
Al Barari as a whole spans more than one million square metres of land, with the villas are built clusters (known here as the botanically more evoactive ‘leaves’) interspersed with green areas
An Environment with a Green Heart A private and secluded community that’s also kind to the environment, Al Barari offers UAE residents the chance to live in great style – and in perfect harmony with their lush, green surroundings by Samantha Armstrong
A normal sense of time and place takes on a life of its own within the cocoon-like confines of Al Barari. In this enclave for Dubai’s elite, life marches to the sound of its own drum and few living here follow the nine-to-six pattern trod by millions of others across the city. ‘’People seem to make their own hours and you definitely don’t get the mass exodus heading out at 8.30am that you find in many other villa communities,’’ remarks one resident. While community is at the heart of the development, for all that its inhabitants share, the connection each family has with irs home is an intensely personal one. For some the lush greenery rekindles memories of the Malaysian
countryside, whereas others liken it to a peaceful pocket of rural England. The project, spanning more than one million square metres of land is the creation of Emirati entrepreneur Zaal Mohammed Zaal, who wanted to establish a botanical paradise with sustainability at its core. When he designed Al Barari, Zaal was encouraged to build more villas, to ‘make better commercial use of the land’. However, his vision was always to create an environment that would be dominated by green spaces. Of the planned 300 villas, 189 have been completed, nestled within landscaped gardens characterised by different styles, including Renaissance, Balinese, Mediterranean, Woodland, Water and Contemporary. Al Barari’s own private nursery cultivates the remarkable range of plants, which includes 800 species from 20 countries on six continents. Each of the four villa types – Acacia, Bromellia, Dahlia and Camellia – offers its own sumptuous take on high-end living. Even the smallest property is around 12,700 sq ft and all are built over four floors with a large roof terrace. They are 100 per cent ‘smart’ homes
and details such as JBL surround sound in every room, an outdoor bathroom, and wellplanned indoor-outdoor living spaces all elevate Al Barari to another level of luxe living. ‘’Everybody has heard about the greenery but what often surprises people is how close you feel to the city. On a clear day the skyline is beautiful; you can see the desert on one side and the high rises of Sheikh Zayed Road to the other. We don’t have pollution so you get a crystal clear view that shows you the best of worlds,’’ says one resident, who moved in with her husband and four children last year. What’s more, she adds, while others assume that they live in the middle of nowhere the perception couldn’t be more wrong. ‘’Everybody thinks we are far out but we are 10-15 minutes from Dubai Mall and the same to Jumeirah. We have this wonderful feeling of living in a sanctuary while actually being in the middle of everything.’’ As little as a year ago taxi drivers at the airport, when asked for Al Barari would look back blankly; now it is firmly on their mental map of the city. For Emirates’ Business and First class chauffeurs
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continued on page 16
Current Prices The number of Al Barari properties, in various price brackets, currently offered for sale by Luxhabitat Number of Properties 12
12
4
4
10-12.5
12.5-15
15-17.5
17.5+
Price Ranges (million AED) Source: Luxhabitat analysis, June 2012
To READ MARKET UPDATES FROM OTHER NEIGHBouRHOODs
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Summer 2012
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Al Barari did you know... The villas at Al Barari are built using a technique not previously seen in the UAE: most of the wall panels, and elements such as staircases are prefabricated off-site, from cast concrete. Once the main frames of the villas have been constructed (in the usual house-building manner) the prefabricated elements are slotted into place. This is not only more efficient – estimated to be 30 per cent faster than normal building methods – but is also more sustainable, as all excess concrete is ground down and re-used to make more panels.
Expert View Paul Christodoulou
Luxury Sales Specialist, Luxhabitat E: pc@luxhabitat.ae | T: +971 50 955 9498
A Promise becomes Reality
continued from page 15
it’s a regular destination. At this level, safety and peace of mind is a must, and the security here also sets Al Barari apart from other developments. The guards are very efficient and residents need to call ahead to the gate before guests are allowed in. During the economic downturn the pace of construction slowed here but, unlike in other developments it did not stop. The next few years will see more worldclass facilities added, such as an all-suite boutique hotel and holistic spa. A new residential element has recently been launched, offering the opportunity to purchase shell and core only, which allows buyers to dictate their own style and layout, an option that is already proving very popular. Al Barari offers a real sense of suburban family living, where everything can be done for you. Maid and laundry services can be arranged and The Farm will deliver food to your door. The community has a very close connection with Repton School and the vast majority of people send their children there; indeed, for some, the school’s proximity was a deciding factor in their move. Al Barari was always envisaged as a community where people would interact. There is a stream or garden behind every villa and each property has a gate leading to these communal areas. There are also four ‘tot lots’ for the children to play. Seclusion and tranquility are the defining features of this luxurious desert oasis.
For high net worth individuals, Al Barari offers peace and seclusion. among a community of like-minded people
When launched as a plan in 2005 Al Barari promised that it would be the most luxurious villa development in Dubai – and that promise has definitely been fulfilled. The houses have been built to international standards of quality and the promised greenery has exceeded expectations. In the past 12 months, as the planting has matured, it has become like a lush corner of South-East Asia. As planned, Al Barari is very low-density, with 80 per cent green areas, including six ‘botanical gardens’. There will be more than 30 such gardens when the project is finished. Currently, 189 villas have been completed, spread over 19 clusters or ‘leaves’, with threequarters of them occupied. Phase two of the villas – The Reserve – will be launched this summer for off-plan sale, with a shell-and-
In the past year, as the planting has matured, it has become like a lush corner of South-East Asia
provides seclusion, amid a community of likeminded people. Although some of Al Barari’s facilities have taken more time to be completed than originally planned, that is changing fast. The Farm restaurant and deli has just opened, giving residents a place to relax, enjoy good food and meet one another. The tennis academy has recently opened and a gym is being built. A spa is due to be finished this year and a boutique hotel is on its way. Everybody now buying in Al Barari is an enduser. Of the 30 villas currently on the market, two-thirds are being sold by original investors. Initial selling prices were very high: up to AED 40,000,000 for a villa in Q1 2008. When the market dipped severely in 2009, Al Barari reduced its prices in line with market conditions, but inevitably some investors who needed to sell reduced them further, creating some inconsistency. In the past six to eight months we have seen resale prices catch up; the people who needed to sell have done so and the development has been recovering strongly since the start of 2012. The most expensive Phase One villa we have on the market currently is a 16,448 sq.ft home at AED 25,000,000. In the first quarter this year we have sold two properties (at AED 12–14 million) compared to three over the course of 2011. Luxhabitat was recently appointed central agent by Al Barari and we hold 95 per cent of the available resale properties. Al Barari has always had a big plan, and its residents are seeing it evolve very successfully.
core option available. With 33 villas, The Reserve is on the west of the Phase One section. Al Barari naturally attracts high net worth residents: 75 per cent of our Al Barari clients work in the financial and legal sectors based in DIFC. Others are high-profile figures, including European businessmen and people from the world of sport; for them Al Barari
Paul Christodoulou, Al Barari specialist, was talking to Samantha Armstrong
can enjoy peace and seclusion but still feel part of a community.” Despite their almost 24/7 involvement with Al Barari for more than five years, it wasn’t until last December that the Zaals moved into their own home there. Lesley – who, through her interior design firm Etcetera Living, not only created the original show homes but has since been commissioned to do several more for buyers in Al Barari – jokes that putting the finishing touches to their own villa has taken a back seat: “My husband keeps asking when our place will be finished but I tell him clients come first and, like all good things, it is a work in progress!” What gives Al Barari its uniqueness is the extraordinarily lush greenery. As Lesley explains, that underpinned the project from the start. “My husband lives and breathes for his plants so he created the nursery at the heart of Al Barari; it is the lung of the community where everything grows. He was advised against building it but, for him, to buy the plants would have been unthinkable.” Some have questioned the environmental cost of growing such lavish plant life in the desert. “People are under the misconception that we must use large amounts of water but that is not
the case at all. We have our own polishing plant and use recycled water for all the green areas. The way the greenery was designed and planted means that less water is required to sustain it. And all green waste goes back to the nursery to create compost.” Clearly the Zaals have based Al Barari on the way they themselves like to live – and the way it’s evolving is telling. The most recent addition is The Farm, a restaurant with an emphasis on natural, wholesome food. The Zaals themselves drop in regularly and, Lesley says, it’s where a weekend usually unfolds for many of the residents: “It has become a real hub where people gather, especially on a Saturday. You get children coming early with their brothers and sisters, ordering breakfast while they wait for their parents to make their own way down.” The fact that they can do so says much for the secure environment. “We have a lot of young families with three or four children; the children all play together and the security guards know most of them by name. The closest I can compare the atmosphere to is a small country village in England,” says UK-born Lesley. There are also plans for a club house and a boutique hotel offering spa treatments and alter-
interview
Home is Where the Heart Is For Lesley Zaal, living in Al Barari is the realisation of the dream that originally inspired the development. by Samantha Armstrong
Al Barari is the kind of utopian environment that occupies a special place in the heart of every one of its residents. But for Lesley Zaal, wife of Zaal Mohammed Zaal who designed and created the lush paradise, living here means realising the dream she had with her husband and sharing in the development of its future with her neighbours. “Al Barari is our baby,” she says simply. “We wanted to create the kind of place where our own family would want to live and where people
Summer 2012
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star property
Great Spaces for Family Living and Stylish Entertaining door-outdoor spaces, is ideal for contemporary family life and entertaining. The villa’s beautifully landscaped private garden (which also has direct access to a communal green space) has two cooled courtyards, a swimming pool, spa pool and, opening off the ground-floor master bedroom suite, a private plunge pool. There’s also a very large roof terrace, with a barbecue and dining area that further encourages al fresco living. As with all Al Barari villas, the materials and finishes throughout this beautiful sixbedroom home are of the highest standard. The interior decoration is natural, warm and muted. Pale earthy colours on the walls complement the huge spaces, while stunning floor-to-ceiling windows allow natural light to flood the rooms during the day. Generous use of dark, polished hardwood on the doors and frames makes for an inviting, cosy ambience. The expansive, country-style kitchen, with its gleaming work surfaces, is a dream space for any home cook. The kitchen is adjacent to a large open-plan family living area and is separated by fullheight sliding doors from a formal dining room and living room that are ideal for entertaining on a grander scale. A study room completes the ground floor spaces. To enhance privacy, the generous maid’s quarters are set on the first floor with their own terrace and private entrance.
Tastefully decorated, in neutral tones, the villa is flooded with natural light, enhancing the sense of space and serenity throughout
Green living has never looked so luxurious and this villa comes with the seriously green credentials of Al Barari. It’s part of the vision of the Zaal family, who wanted to create a residential development that celebrated and respected nature. It’s life in a desert country, but not as we know it. Strict environmental standards underpin the entire concept. Water management is key: the gardens all have smart-control irrigation
FASCINATING FACT... The 800 plant species in Al Barari include many that had never previously been grown in the UAE, such as the fan palm Bismarckia nobilis, a native of Madagascar, and the butterfly-attracting Lilac vitex. Al Barari’s own nursery propogates more than one million plants per year, mostly from cuttings taken from the original plant stock purchased eihgt years ago.
systems, using water that is recycled on-site, biodiversity is conserved and encouraged by the use of native and ecologically-adapted plant species in the landscaping; gardens have been designed to maximise shade, thus reducing the reliance on irrigation. As for the villa itself, it has been designed with a focus on energy efficiency – and the result is a home that is not only extremely comfortable but also, with its great flow of in-
AED 17,000,000 (USD 4.63m). Property Ref 842. Contact Paul Christodoulou: +971 50 955 9498; pc@luxhabitat.ae
Luxurious Living at an Attractive Price 50
With prices comfortably back above the development’s launch prices, Al Barari still offers good value, especially given its level of quality
Maximum Price (M AED) 45
Minimum Price (M AED)
40
by Samantha Armstrong
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native medicine. “People tell us what they want and we see if it makes sense. The place will always evolve and I am going to make it the best that I can because we live here too.” Asked to describe her neighbours, Lesley says, “They are individual characters who know what they like, all successful people who embrace the feeling of community. Most have lived in several countries but they see Dubai as their home now.” There is no doubt the community will be the Zaals’ home for life – and now they are seeing their children settle and build lives here, too. “It already felt like home to us all as the desert played such a big role in their childhoods. We would take the kids out on motorbikes in the dunes and camp every weekend during the winter. When we first chose this area to develop, we all camped on the site. Now, when we sit together in our houses and remember that moment it is an incredible feeling.”
to read more see www.thejournal.ae/neighbourhood
Price fluctuations in Al Barari have been particularly marked and this luxurious development represents a unique case in the UAE market. As an ambitious project brought to the table by a new developer, it launched in 2006 at a very low starting price, with many investors using that to their advantage to buy several villas. This multiple-purchase trend was further fuelled as Al Barari chose the tactic of announcing the developer’s price a month ahead so that buyers could see the increase on their investment. The launch period coincided with the steep growth curve in property values, which characterised the massive growth and subsequent steep fall. The maximum price of a villa tripled from AED 15,000,000 in December 2007 to AED 45,000,000 in September 2008. Prices then fell sharply back to AED 8,500,000–AED 16,000,000 in March 2009. After staying flat throughout 2009, the price range began to rise again during 2010, reaching AED 9,000,000–AED 18,000,000 that December and continued to rise, to AED 10,000,000–AED 23,000,000 in December 2011. In the first quarter of this year prices have remained at around that level; overall, growth has been steady at around 20-25 per cent over the past three years. There are only four different types of villas in the community so the gap in size between the smallest and largest is not wide, ranging
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Following the boom-bust that hit all of Dubai at the end of 2008, prices in Al Barari have been steadily climbing year-on-year. Source: Luxhabitat analysis, June 2012
from around 12,000 square feet to 16,000 sq.ft. As a result, the main concentrations of properties available for sale fall in the AED 12,000,000–AED 15,000,000 range (12 properties) and the AED 15,000,000–AED 17,000,000 mark (also 12 properties). There are only four properties in either the AED 10,000,000–12,000,000 or AED 17,500,000plus brackets. Because of the very generous scale of its properties, the average price per square foot in Al Barari is lower than in any other villa project, yet the quality here is unparalleled. Al Barari is around AED 850–1,000 per sq ft compared to Emirates Living at around 1,000–1200 per sq ft.
Now that the community is well established – not only in terms of the environment and infrastructure but also in terms of an established group of like-minded residents – and confidence has been secured that the developer would deliver on its promise of high quality, this price difference is expected to diminish quickly. Al Barari represents a very good opportunity for buyers looking for large-scale properties due to its attractive price per square foot, fantastic community and excellent quality. Demand is evidenced by the next phase of the project being launched, which offers even larger-sized plots, with a choice of fully finished or shell-and-core villas.
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featured propertIES
Property Gallery
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Set on an open plot, overlooking one of Al Barari’s botanical gardens, this Acacia villa offers more than 16,000 square feet of living space, including six bedroom suites, several open-plan reception rooms, a double-height foyer and great indoor-outdoor flow. With a lovely French-style family kitchen and parquet flooring in several rooms, added to Al Barari’s usual high-quality finishes and neutral palette, it offers a blank canvas with tremendous scope for new owners to create their own style. AED 17, 000,000. Property Ref. 954
This 6-bedroom Bromellia, set on a sought-after B4 plot, is adjacent to the Woodland botanical garden, with beautiful, open views from the first floor rooms and roof terrace. Having not previously been lived in, the villa offers buyers a rare opportunity to decorate from scratch, to their own taste. A state-of-the-art kitchen has been installed. AED 15,000,000 Property Ref. 795
BROMELLIA
This magnificent six-bedroom villa offers great scope for decorating. It has one of the largest private gardens in Al Barari. AED 13,900,000. Property Ref. 806
Decorated with great flair and attention to detail, with the use of very high-quality materials, this five-bedroom Camellia villa is ready to move in to. Special features include a state-of-the-art home cinema in the basement, a family billiards room on the first floor and a vast roof terrace with magnificent views of the Dubai city skyline. AED 14,500,000. Property Ref. 881
dahlia
Surrounded by lush planting, with a beautifully upgraded and decorated interior, this six-bedroom villa is a wonderful family home. AED 12,500,000. Property Ref. 930
bromellia
A beautiful six-bedroom villa, never previously occupied, this property invites a new owner to create their own individual style. AED 12,500,000 Property Ref. 816