Majid Al Futtaim, a leading pioneer in shopping malls, communities, retail, and leisure across the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia, has announced two significant milestones for its forest living concept, Ghaf Woods: the appointment of Innovo Build as the main contractor for its first two phases and the establishment of a dedicated tree nursery to support the project’s biophilic design concept.

Spanning 738,000 sq m off the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Highway, near Global Village, Ghaf Woods will feature over 7,000 premium units, including one, two, and three-bedroom residences and penthouses. The community will also be home to Majid Al Futtaim’s signature multi-purpose hub, Distrikt, which features a curated selection of retail and farm-to-table dining experiences, said the developer.

Announcing the AED1.7-billion ($462 million) construction contract, Majid Al Futtaim said Innovo Build will be responsible for the construction of 13 buildings with a shared podium level across the Celia, Serra, and Lacina clusters.

On the dedicated tree nursery, Majid Al Futtaim said with Ghaf Woods set to become a model for sustainable forest living in Dubai. Today, it is home to more than 10,000 trees with that figure set to increase to 20,000 and 105,000 shrubs by May 2026. It will eventually grow to house up to 30,000 trees, which will then be transported and replanted across Ghaf Woods.

Majid Al Futtaim has awarded a AED49-million nursery contract to Barari Natural Resources, part of Mawarid Holding Investment, to manage and oversee the trees care and cultivation.