Work is progressing rapidly on a new multi-level futuristic apartment tower at the recently-announced Dh6 billion Marsa Al Khor (Harbour of the creek) neighbourhood at Dubai Festival City (DFC), the city-within-a-city taking shape on the banks of the historic reek.

The 500-apartment centerpiece residence building is being constructed by Al Futtaim Carillion, in conjunction with Australian Architects Marazaki FBK, and involves a workforce of over 2,700.
“Progress is on track with one floor being added each week,” said Phil McArthur, director, marketing and leasing, DFC. “The entire structure will be finished in the last quarter of 2006.
“This will be a striking asset for Dubai’s ever-evolving skyline and a focal point for the 'Marsa Al Khor’ development.”
More than 300 of the exclusive apartments will be available for lease, though the tower will also house 200 serviced residences to be managed by the five-star InterContinental Group.
These stylish hi-rise apartments will make up the InterContinental Residences, available on annual leases and giving tenants access to the 424-room InterContinental Dubai Festival City and the destination's world-class leisure, retail and entertainment facilities.
The master planning for the proposed 245,000 sq m Marsa Al Khor community is designed to capture the spirit and atmosphere of some of the world's finest waterfront lifestyle destinations.
Creating an integrated corniche community for up to 14,000 people, Marsa Al Khor will have hi-rise towers, stylish creekside offices, a Central Park, exclusive waterfront homes, state-of-the-art offices and an array of chic cafes and restaurants. A 300-room boutique hotel fronting the centrepiece quay will also be built, the operator for which is expected to be announced this month.
Marsa Al Khor will also offer a choice of homes – from stylish waterfront condominiums and penthouses to up-scale luxury apartments creating a discerning community which will benefit from a range of neighbourhood amenities and eateries, all with awe-inspiring vistas.
And with over 2.5 million sq ft of gross leaseable area (GLA), the three Marsa Al Khor commercial districts will attract some of the world’s leading multi-nationals, and corporations. Designed in a tiered format to deliver as many waterfront views as possible, the districts have at their heart the Central Park, where striking high-rise towers are set amongst landscaped gardens and water features. Serviced by ground-level cafes and shops, the towers will have ample underground parking.
“The signature Marsa Al Khor development will leverage its unique location and deliver an active waterfront environment. In concept, Marsa Al Khor will be a first for Dubai and will bring the soul of the city back to the creek,” said McArthur.
The DFC is a 1,600 acre ‘city-within-a-city’taking shape on the sweeping curves of the historic Dubai creek. As the Middle East's largest, privately-funded, mixed-use, real estate development, this all-in-one city offers extensive in retail, residential, leisure, hospitality and entertainment facilities.
The project is skirted by a 4-km-long, privately-developed creekside corniche.