The building boom that has made Dubai the cynosure of the world continues to head northwards in the UAE, with most of the once-sleepy Northern Emirates now abuzz with multi-million-dollar real estate and other projects.

With property prices having skyrocketed in Dubai, many developers have turned their focus to the emirates of Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, which are now awash with projects that would not even have been dreamt of a few years ago.
While taking advantage of the fact that land prices in these emirates are three to four times cheaper than in Dubai, developers are also looking at cashing on their unique selling points – their mountains, deserts, beaches and greener, quieter environment.
Ajman and Umm Al Quwain have been in the headlines over the past year with projects such as the Ajman One, the Ajman Marina and Umm Al Quwain Marina. Ajman, the smallest of the UAE’s seven states at only 260 sq km, has close to 200 freehold residential towers either under construction or completed since the city’s freehold property sector kicked off in 2004, according to a Financial Times report.
A catalyst in this rapid growth of the Northern Emirates is perhaps the extension of the Emirates Road in 2005 right up to Ras Al Khaimah, following which a spate of projects have been launched. These include the ambitious $8.2 billion Al Salam City in Umm Al Quwain and the $4.1 billion Emirates City in Ajman, the RAK Gateway City in Ras Al Khaimah. This arterial road links all the seven emirates and looks poised to become the ‘Zayed Road’ – famed for the numerous high-rises that line it – of the Northern Emirates over the next decade.
The governments of these emirates are encouraging investment in a big way.  In Ras Al Khaimah for example, the Investment and Development Office (IDO) says it has attracted projects more than Dh20 billion ($5.45 billion) into the emirate in the last two years – a figure which it aims to double by 2010. IDO officials say that 60 per cent of its future investment deals will be channelled into lifestyle developments, which include booming sectors such as tourism, leisure and real estate. Industrial development will account for the remaining 40 per cent.
While many of these projects are being implemented largely through private sector participation, the Northern Emirates have relied heavily on funding from the Federal Government or its richer neighbouring emirates for its infrastructural requirements.

Airports
As these emirates boost their tourism and leisure facilities, considerable investment is going into the development of their airport infrastructure. Ras Al Khaimah Airport will invest $110 million in developing its international airport over the next five years to cater to the growth in air traffic with the imminent launch of RAK Airways. 
This apart, the emirate is drawing up a 20-year masterplan for the expansion of the airport, which will include the construction of new passenger and cargo terminals and the development of an airport city.  The masterplan will involve building a new passenger terminal with air bridges, a cargo terminal with warehousing facilities, parallel taxiways and new apron stands. The airport city will include hotels, golf courses, a free zone, an aviation academy and a spaceport. France’s Aeroports de Paris is preparing the masterplan.
Sharjah International Airport is in the midst of a $95.4 million expansion project, which will enable it to handle up to 8 million passengers a year.  A 300-room hotel is being built by Air Arabia, the first low-cost carrier in the Middle East and North Africa. It will be managed by Rotana Hotels under its innovative Centro by Rotana brand.

Real estate
Ajman: Following the successful launch of mega projects such as the Emirates City and the $272.5 million Al Ameera Village, Ajman has recently launched the $736 million Ajman One and Ajman Marina.
Construction work has already started on the first phase of Ajman One, which is being developed by the local developer Aqaar. The mixed-use development featuring residential, commercial, hospitality and leisure projects is due for completion in early 2010 (see separate article).  
The newly-launched Ajman Marina, which is currently being masterplanned by the global architectural firm HOK for the Saudi firm Tanmiyat Investment Group, involves the redevelopment of a dhow harbour. Work on the 26-hectare development is due to start early next year (see separate article). 
Meanwhile, R Holdings has attracted a number of investors to its prestigious Emirates City. These include Inter Emirates Properties, which has launched the The Eye Tower, a $95.36 million 29-storey office building and The Rose Tower, a $68.1 million residential tower, which are expected to be completed by the 2009. The Emirates City, covering more than 5 million sq ft, will comprise 72 commercial and residential towers, landscaped gardens, hotels, mosques, and health, education, shopping and leisure facilities.
Work has progressed on Al Ameera Village, a 5 million sq-ft, integrated residential and commercial city being developed by Tameer Holding. Infrastructure works have been completed on the development, and Sharjah-based Al Rajhi Projects and Construction has been contracted to implement the first phase which includes construction of 41 residential buildings.  The project will contain a five-star hotel, shopping mall and residential and business facilities.
Another significant development is the $680 million Al Zohra development, which is currently being masterplanned. Covering 10 sq km, it will have commercial, residential and leisure areas and include a marina and golf course. The existing port and free zone may be relocated to the new development which will take 10 years to complete. The local Aqaar will develop the project in a 50:50 joint venture with Beirut-based Solidere. 
Fujairah: Among the most striking projects in Fujairah is the $163.5 million Al Fajer Resort. Mina Al Fajer Real Estate has appointed Tidalmarine Engineering (TME) to undertake the dredging, reclamation, coastal protection work on the project. It will include a marina, 48 mountain villas, 13 solarium villas, and 80 marina apartments, in addition to a 200-room five-star hotel that will be managed by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.
Ras Al Khaimah:  The emirate’s largest development project is Mina Al Arab, a $2.72 billion beach resort which is expected to be completed in 2011.  Work is in progress on the resort city, being developed by RAK Properties. The local Darwish Engineering has been engaged on the $93 million infrastructure works while China Harbour Engineering Company is working on the marine works contract. The project is spread over 30 million sq ft and brings together nine themed and two eco-hotels that will provide an estimated 3,500 rooms for tourists and visitors of the emirate, in addition to a cluster of 3,500 residential units.
RAK Properties is also developing the $115 million Julfar Towers, which comprises two 43-storey high-rises. Sharjah-based Al-Hamad Contracting Company is working on the main construction contract.
Another leading local developer Rakeen has unveiled an iconic Financial City, comprising 12 towers, the centrepiece of RAK Offshore project, a free zone financial hub under development. The developer expects more than 1,000 companies to operate from the zone within a couple of years. The RAK Offshore project, currently under development by the RAK Investment Authority (Rakia), will position the emirate as a sought-after business and investment destination.
Rakeen’s other projects include Banyan Resort, RAK Gateway City and Al Marjan islands, which will include Bab Al Bahr.
The RAK Gateway City, which will house around 250,000 people upon completion, will feature an exhibition and convention centre, business hotels with a total of 3,000 to 4,000 rooms, a 50,000-sq m shopping mall, office complexes and apartment buildings (see Page 55).  
Reclamation work has started for the Al Marjan Islands, an ambitious $1.8 billion man-made island development comprising a cluster of four coral-shaped islands dotted with a variety of water homes, floating villas, hotels, resorts, sporting facilities and commercial spaces over a total area of 2.7 million sq m (see separate article).
Among the first projects to be developed on Al Marjan is Bab Al Bahr, a $327 million resort encompassing freehold residential apartments, a shopping centre, a 25-storey office tower and a four-star 290-room hotel. The resort is scheduled for completion in 2009.
Meanwhile, another key developer Khoie Properties has started construction work on its $150 million La Hoya Business Bay Village. The project forms part of the La Hoya Bay development on Al Marjan Islands and will include retail and commercial space over 500,000 sq ft. 
Another mega development launched last year is the $1.9 billion Emirates Flag project being developed by High Rise Real Estate in association with the Ras Al Khaimah Free Zone Authority, Dream Industrial Park, and A&A Investment Group.
The iconic project has been designed by the reputed architectural design firm Dimensions and will comprise seven blocks with a total of 21 buildings. Each block will be themed around one of the UAE emirates complete with local art, food and decor from the emirate represented in the design of the block.  Each block will be divided into three buildings: a residential, a hotel and an office tower and there will be seven such blocks in the development.  The project, when built in three phases by 2015, will proudly portray on its roof the flag of the UAE, in concrete glass and steel. 
A striking project that aims to benefit from Ras Al Khaimah’s natural environment is the Desert Snow Village, which is designed to accommodate 350,000 residents. The project will offer a variety in sports, leisure, entertainment and cultural activities, besides 24 themed hotels including a 20-room Ice Hotel, Sport Hotel Film Production Hotel, Kids Hotel and a Women’s Hotel. Construction on this project is expected to be carried out in three stages with completion estimated to take eight to 10 years.
Other developments include The Cove, a $60 million project comprising a 409-room, five-star hotel, 134 chalets, speciality restaurants and related facilities on a 50-acre beachfront site being developed by the Cairo-based Orascom Hotels and Development; the $1.5 billion Saraya Islands, – a joint initiative of the Ras Al Khaimah government, Saraya Holdings and Arab Bank,  which will cover 3 km of coastline and will feature 200 villas, several hotels, a golf course and a retail area;  and  the $408.7 million educational initiative by Edrak Company, which aims to turn the emirate into a world-class learning hub.
Sharjah: About 20 mega residential projects are under construction and an estimated 50,000 residential units are expected to enter the Sharjah market over the next two years to meet the huge demand for housing created by skyrocketing rents in neighbouring Dubai. A project in the Al Rahmania district alone will add 4,133 residential units and the $4.9 billion future development of Al Nujoom Islands by Saudi-based Al Hanoo is expected to see the construction of 40 high-rise towers, among other elements.
Nujoom Islands, Sharjah’s largest project, will cover over 5 million sq m off the Hamriyah Beach. The project features 10 islands housing 1,400 villas, 37 residential towers and 145 residential low-rise buildings, deep-water marinas, four five-star luxury hotels and chalets, exhibition halls, marina, entertainment centres, six large shopping malls and an International Business and Financial Centre. 
Another mega project is the expansion of Sahara Centre, whose owners plan to invest $1.09 billion to double the size of landmark shopping mall and create a whole new ‘city within a city’.  The Sahara City project includes seven towers, nearly 500,000 sq ft of new office space, 23 floors of parking and a 27-floor hotel. 
Other projects include the Al Khan Towers project, being developed by High Rise Properties, which comprises a 20-storey hotel apartment tower and a 17-storey hotel building. 
Umm Al Quwain: Among the largest real estate developments in Umm Al Quwain is the Dh30 billion Al Salam City, a mixed-used project alongside Emirates Road which is being developed by the Sharjah-based Tameer. The local Emirates Roads Contracting has won what is believed to be the largest construction contract awarded in the emirate estimated at Dh644 million for the construction of the first-phase infrastructure.  Phase 1 comprises the entire city’s infrastructure, a downtown area with one of the federation’s largest shopping malls, 20 residential and commercial towers each of about 20 storeys, and a residential district. It also includes a residential district with 1,000 villas and 200 buildings, ranging from 10 storeys to a 50-floor luxury hotel. Once complete, the city will create housing for 500,000 people.
To be executed in three phases, the project’s initial phase is scheduled for completion within the next three years. 
Work has also been launched on yet another mega development, the $3.3 billion Umm Al Quwain Marina. In May, the local Arabtec Construction was selected for a Dh371 million ($101 million) design and build contract for 277 villas at the project, which will be completed in several phases over the next two years (see Page 61).
Among other projects in Umm Al Quwain are White Bay and the Rainbow Towers.
The $4 billion White Bay is a community project comprising 10,000 dwellings, three hotels, about 20 high-rise buildings and several medium-rise development villas and townhouses. The project being developed by local Al-Murjan Real Estate, involves a central commercial and retail precinct around a man-made harbour, with two islands and a golf course. 
The Dh500 million Rainbow Towers project – recently launched by FuGen, an international project management and investment company based in the UK – will comprise seven towers and 1008 flats/units targeted at lower income families and individuals. Although based in Umm Al Quwain, Rainbow Towers is strategically placed on Al Itihad Road within minutes of Hamriyah Port and Nujoom Islands in Sharjah.

Hotels & leisure facilities
Ras Al Khaimah aims to quadruple the number of tourists it attracts to 100,000 by 2010 and the other emirates also have similar ambitions. Among the major leisure facilities taking shape is the 120-acre WOW RAK, a multipark entertainment venue and theme park in the Khor Qurm region. The $231.6 million theme park is being promoted by Polo RAK Amusements – a joint venture company between Polo Amusement Park from India, RAK Investment Authority and RAK Properties.
WOW RAK will include two adjacent theme parks – Ice Land Water Park and Planet Earth Theme Park – with a capacity to cater to 15,000 visitors per day, apart from a 12,000 sq m shopping mall and entertainment plaza and a resort. The water park will be ready for the public by May next year and the entire theme park will be completed in two years.
Among other developments, the Government of Ras Al Khaimah will set up a $2.72 billion tourism and hospitality hub, International Hospitality Trade and Training Zone (ihottz) on 350 acres of prime real estate. The IDO has joined hands with the US-based Argentum Development Company to construct ihottz, which will include a 260-acre hospitality industry free trade zone development and an additional 90-acre hospitality education campus. 
Sharjah is boosting the number of hotel rooms by setting up a range of new hotels including new Rotana, Marriott and Novotel properties, adding to its 7,000 hotel and hotel apartment rooms. Among them is a Dh150 million four-star hotel which will form part of the expansion at Expo Centre Sharjah. The 200-room Novotel will be operational by the end of 2009. In the first quarter of this year, 15 properties opened in the emirate, while another 15 hotel and apartment properties will come into service later during the year. 
Ports
Four newly-constructed berths have been commissioned and other infrastructure upgradation projects implemented at the Saqr Port in Ras Al Khaimah. The port has undertaken an ambitious expansion programme over the last four years involving a total investment of Dh221 million to facilitate efficient handling of containers, bulk and general cargo.
Among other projects under way in this sector, is the expansion of Sharjah Container Terminal (SCT), projected to be completed early next year. 

Power & water
Fujairah will feature the the UAE’s largest greenfield IWPP (independent water and power project) once the 2,000-MW Fujairah F2 IWPP comes online in 2010. Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (Adwea), which is spearheading its construction, has contracted a Marubeni and International Power-led consortium to develop it.

Roads
Sharjah’s Public Works Department has awarded two contracts as part of its $545 million road expansion programme. The local Sharjah General Contracting has been awarded a $130 million package for Al Wahda Road, involving an interchange and an overpass at King Abdulaziz junction.
The second contract, valued at $69 million, has gone to the local National Contracting and Transport Company for the interchanges and a link road connecting Al Wahda Road to the Sharjah ring road. Al Wahda Street is to be turned into an expressway in a bid to speed up traffic flow on the often congested road.