Site levelling works for the massive Dh4 billion ($1.08 billion) City of Arabia have been completed and piling is scheduled to begin this month on the 20 million sq ft plot in the heart of Dubailand.

The new township – one of the largest private sector projects in the Middle East region – is due to be open for residential occupation in three years from now, according to its developer the Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group.
The project, which form a new suburb of Dubai on Emirates Road, next to the Global Village, will include several features such as:
• Mall of Arabia, which will be the largest retail facility in the region, and with a GFA (gross floor area) of around 10 million sq ft – among the largest in the world;
• Elite Towers, which consist of 34 high-rise developments – varying from 30 storeys to 60 storeys – for both commercial and residential use;
• A huge indoor dinosaur theme-park – the Restless Planet – being developed with assistance from the Natural History Museum, London; and
• The Wadi Residences, which will include 1,600 apartments in low-rise blocks of around five storeys, lining a 4 km-long flowing canal with a shady promenade – Wadi Walk – on either side linked to the mall. At street level, the Wadi Walk will consist entirely of cafes, restaurants, convenience stores and boutiques.
The City of Arabia and the area surrounding it will also comprise mosques; hotels; schools and clinics. It will be served by its own monorail system that will link the residential areas to the mall and the Restless Planet.
“The intention is to connect this in one joint station complex to the much larger Dubai Light Railway system, which will have a station at the Mall of Arabia to facilitate the transfer of visitors and residents to the various attractions in the City,” says       Anthony Harris, director of public relations at Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group.

Mall of Arabia
The huge mall will be built on four levels: two for retail outlets and two below, providing internal car parking for 10,000 vehicles. It will be directly linked to the Restless Planet, allowing visitors to stroll directly from one to the other.

Restless Planet
The Restless Planet will itself be distinguished by a remarkable 80 m-high dome, with a diameter of 80 m, where visitors will be enthralled by a light-show and spectacular effects depicting the birth of Planet Earth, before they enter the rides section of the attraction.
Hotels
Facing the Restless Planet, across the entrance to the mall and with views over the whole site, will be a 400-bed five-star hotel. There will be another boutique resort hotel on an island in the canal.

Challenges
From an engineering point of view, the main tasks that are now to commence are the construction of the Mall of Arabia and the massive earthworks that will go into excavating the canal in the Wadi Walk.
“Perhaps the largest single challenge is the water system in the canal,” explains Harris. “The waterway – which will be on average 15 m wide and 1.5 m deep – will have to be constantly filtered, circulated and treated to remove impurities, in order to keep it to almost potable standards. The boats, which will carry residents and visitors to and fro – like the abras on the Dubai Creek – and serve the main entrance of the mall, will be electric water taxis. Being battery-powered, the water taxis are emission free. In keeping with this eco-friendly style, the I&M Galadari Group intends to use solar power to the maximum extent possible to provide electricity for street lighting, and to produce hot water for domestic use. Furthermore, all car parking for the Wadi Residences will be underground.”
Planning and structural design are at an advanced stage, and include the provision of the infrastructure for the entire City of Arabia development, including internal roads, links to major arteries such as the Emirates Road, drainage, sewerage, power, district cooling and telecommunications.  Landscaping of the public areas will be carried out to the highest standards.
Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari has appointed Palmer and Turner as overall project consultant. The firm – established in Hong Kong since 1868 – has vast experience in dealing with such urban development projects and has been involved with most of the Shanghai waterfront.
When completed, the City of Arabia will have a population of 40,000 residents.
The first stage of the project is on target for completion in the spring of 2008, when the Wadi Residences along the canal, and the shops and cafes, will be open for occupation, Harris concludes.