WORK on the highly-anticipated Palazzo Versace Dubai – the second of its kind in the world and poised to be one of the UAE’s most outstanding hotel and residential resorts – is now more than 80 per cent complete.

Emirates Sunland Group, which has joined hands with Versace to develop the Dh2.3-billion ($626 million) luxury property, has confirmed that construction work on the 4.3-hectare development – now becoming a distinctive landmark on the banks of the Dubai creek – is making excellent progress.

Once complete, the hotel will provide 169 private residences and 213 super-luxury hotel suites, with a range of furniture and furnishings all exclusively designed by Versace for the hotel and condominiums.

The main contractor on the project is the Middle East’s prominent builder Arabtec, which was also responsible for the iconic Burj Al Arab in Dubai.

“At 81 per cent complete, Palazzo Versace Dubai can easily be seen by passing traffic on the Business Bay Bridge. The progress of Dubai’s new highly anticipated landmark during a very difficult economic time, and to see the external structure now almost complete, and the level of detail now being undertaken for the interiors, is most encouraging,” says Emirates Sunland Group’s managing director Soheil Abedian.

The designer residences and hotel suites are set within one of Dubai’s most prestigious waterside addresses, with uninterrupted views of the historical creek.

The building’s design reflects world-famous palace layouts with the central area allocated for the hotel facilities and the Ala Sinistra and Ala Destra (the left and right wings) for the private condominiums.

Internally, intricate mosaic tiles are now being laid and classically designed plasterboard installed, while externally complex concrete cladding is being attached to the building. The high level of design detail to ensure the interiors reflect the elegance of the 170,000 sq m palace is now well under way, with teams of craftsmen and labourers working on the development. Internal walls and lining are continuing with framing works now on Level Six. The moulding installation is currently on Level Four and the final touches on the walls and ceiling are under way on Level Three.

“More than 100 specialists from around the world have been recruited to a special UAE-based studio and workshop to produce the beautiful detailed mosaics and intricately patterned stone work, that will grace the driveway, public area floors and walls, the spa, private residences’, the bathrooms and private swimming pools,” says Abedian.

The stone floors are being installed on Levels Two and Three with regular deliveries of stone arriving from Italy, ensuring the teams continue to keep pace with the lining trades. All the windows are being installed across the condominiums and façade painting is now in progress on the creek side.

Painting works are commencing from Level Eight downwards, with scaffolding being dismantled as the works are complete. The external condominium hoist has also now been removed and all vertical man and material movement is taking place within the permanent lifts inside the building, where it is a hive of activity.

The Palazzo Versace will feature several dining experiences including its renowned Vanitas fine dining restaurant. Leisure facilities will include a health spa, gymnasium, ballroom and convention facilities and Versace boutique, all set in landscaped grounds.

Approximately 20 per cent of the residences remain for sale, with homes ranging from two-bedroom apartments providing 1,700 sq ft to a six-bedroom duplex with a total of 15,000 sq ft of luxurious space.

Emirates Sunland Group is a 50:50 partnership between UAE-based Emirates International Holdings and Australian-based Sunland Group. Its showroom for Palazzo Versace Dubai is located in Building Six, Gold & Diamond Park, Interchange Four, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, and it will shortly be opening one of the showcase condominiums within the private residence wing of Palazzo Versace.

Sunland Group is one of Australia’s most progressive development groups, leading the way in the design, development and management of projects across Australia, and more recently Dubai. Founded in 1983, the group initially specialised in residential development. It is internationally recognised with development and management of the world’s first fashion branded hotel, Palazzo Versace Gold Coast, with the Global Rollout License for Palazzo Versace resorts worldwide.
EIH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Enshaa, a diversified real estate and investment group based in the UAE.