Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is to have a major new waterfront destination with the redevelopment of the city’s previous Tourist Club site into a world-class tourism, residential and commercial shoreline hub.
To be known as ‘The Quay’, the destination will be built by Khor Abu Dhabi Property Development LLC, an investor consortium led by Abu Dhabi’s Al Masaood– one of the capital’s leading industrial and commercial conglomerates.
The consortium entered into partnership for ‘The Quay’ site with the Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), the asset development arm of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), following a competitive bid, which saw five projects, being proposed.
“The Quay will deliver a unique urban experience which will greatly enhance Abu Dhabi’s expanding international tourism proposition. It will be a destination in its own right and will hold to the Tourist Club’s legacy of providing vast open waterfront spaces for public use,” said His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of both TDIC and ADTA.
Spanning 1.5 million square feet, ‘The Quay’ has been master planned by Australia’s award-winning The Cox Group – renowned designers who have undertaken major waterfront projects in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, China and South Africa.
“The Quay has been inspired by some of the world’s best ocean settings and is reminiscent of Darling Harbour in Sydney and Capetown’s Victoria & Albert Waterfront,” explained HE Abdullah Al Masaood, Chairman, Al Masaood.
“It is one of the single largest urban redevelopment schemes in the UAE and will leverage the magnificent Arabian Gulf setting to deliver a destination of wide local, regional and international appeal.”
A mixed-use development with leisure, residential and commercial facets, The Quay, which will be only minutes from Abu Dhabi’s business centre, will feature a 620-room five-star Hotel.
“This will be a signature shoreline tower with views of a spectacular marina setting and will also house serviced apartments,” said Al Masaood.
The destination will also boast a new lifestyle retail centre housing Abu Dhabi’s first aquarium, gated residential community of around 400 leased luxury apartments, and 592,000 square feet of quayside office space housed in two, 20-storey towers. A 60-berth active marina will be central to a public promenade which will be animated by a waterfront entertainment and food precinct with a range of fashionable, harbour-view cafés and restaurants. It will have car parking for 3,600 vehicles.
“One of The Quay’s winning attributes was its inclusion of substantial, landscaped public spaces which creates a valuable asset for Abu Dhabi residents as well as visitors,” said Mubarak Al Muhairi, Managing Director, TDIC and Director General, ADTA.
Construction of The Quay is to commence shortly and is expected to take three years to complete.
“In designing The Quay we believe we have delivered a poetic yet pragmatic project which is totally aligned with Abu Dhabi’s positioning as an emerging international destination of distinction,” explained Philip Cox, Chairman, The Cox Group.
