Al Hamra to award marine contract at Falcon Island in RAK
AHRED will appoint a contractor for marine works on its upcoming Falcon Island project.
The masterplan for the Falcon Island project. AHRED plans to build a canal through the development, dividing the island in two.
RELATED ARTICLES: Boost for Northern Emirates as Dubai rents soar | $545mn project to provide housing for Emiratis in RAK | RAK’s road to growth
Al Hamra Real Estate Development (AHRED) will this week appoint a contractor to carry out marine works at its $164 million Falcon Island project in Ras al-Khaimah, the developer says.
Seven of the ten firms invited to take part in the tender have submitted bids, and the contract is set to be awarded this week, says Rizwan Jabri, projects manager at AHRED.
The marine works include the creation of a canal running through the island to allow for circulation of water from the Arabian Gulf.
The canal will separate the island into two, with both parts being joined by a bridge. “This bridge is already existing,” says Barry Ebrahimy, head of commercial at AHRED.
The canal is “to allow for more water circulation in the lagoon” on the island, he adds.
The 2.2 million sqm island is largely natural, with some parts reclaimed, Ebrahimy says. The project will feature 150 luxury villas, including 11 waterfront mansions. The houses vary in size from 4,700 to 22,000 sq. feet.
Another contract for infrastructure works on the island will also be awarded shortly, the executives told Big Project ME.
“We may release it in two or three weeks from now,” Jabri says. “And somewhere in between, say June the coming year, the villa construction will start and it will go on till the third quarter of the next year.”
The island is set for completion in December 2016, Ebrahimy adds, with marine and infrastructure works expected to take 19 months.
Falcon Island will feature some houses fully furnished in conjunction with high-end brands like Fendi, Kenzo and Bentley, Ebrahimy says.
Sustainability is a large part of the project, with the island aiming for Platinum LEED certification, the highest possible. The island will be partly solar-powered, Ebrahimy says.
“All the energy for homes will come from solar,” he says. “Even the district cooling for that site will be a hybrid of solar and conventional energy.”
Eco-friendliness is a driving force behind another of AHRED’s projects in development, the Bayti village, also in Ras al-Khaimah (RAK). A focus on renewable energy will help the developer tackle recurring problems of power shortages in the Northern Emirates, Ebrahimy says.
Work on phase one the Bayti project is progressing on track, with the development currently 7 percent complete.
The first phase of the 305-villa project consists of 162 villas, scheduled for completion by the end of 2015.
“As we move towards the completion, we may begin the second phase,” Jabri says, adding that this is subject to the demand for the first phase.
The contractor for the Bayti project is Al Karmel Building Contracting, a RAK-based contractor, while the lead consultant is Home of Architecture, also RAK-based. The Bayti project also aims to obtain LEED certification, AHRED representatives said.
