Omniyat Properties, the real estate development arm of the three-billion-Dirham Almasa Holdings, today announced the official launch of its third project, an innovative AED 550 million freehold office tower in Dubai which introduces a new global concept in the design of office buildings.
The company, which is currently considered one of the fastest growing property developer in the UAE, announced the launch of The Binary, a commercial office tower located within the boundaries of the Business Bay master development taking shape on an extension of Dubai’s historic Creek, which stretches to Sheikh Zayed Road.
The Binary is the first to be based on Omniyat’s new OYSTER concept of office design. OYSTER is an acronym for Offices Yielding Superior Targets Through Efficiency and Relaxation. Buildings based on this concept are self contained and produce excellent results, just like an oyster, which is self-contained within its shell and produces the pearl.
Dubai-based Omniyat, which combines its mother company's two core areas of activity to create the most technologically advanced properties in the Middle East region, has now launched three projects worth more than AED 1.4 billion since the first two projects were unveiled last February.
Speaking at a press conference to announce the launch of The Binary, which will be completed in the first quarter of 2009, Mehdi Amjad, President and CEO of Omniyat Properties, said that the company is currently working on the development of real estate projects worth AED 3.6 billion in Dubai alone.
“This will take the value of our projects in Dubai alone to AED 5 billion. Our goal is to be the most respected and admired property developer in the region and the first choice of customers in the region. We will achieve this through exciting projects such as The Binary,” Amjad explained.
He said the Binary, which consists of two conjoined 21 and 25-storey towers, is unique in that it introduces OYSTER, a new worldwide concept in the design of office towers, which was developed by Omniyat Properties’ in-house team after thorough research of the working environment in Dubai in particular and how it could be improved.
“Our philosophy relies on using technology and futuristic ideas to improve people’s lifestyle, whether at the office or at home. The latest example of this is the OYSTER concept. Just like the oyster nourishes and grows the pearl, this building nourishes its inhabitants and helps them to become more creative and more productive through its exciting new facilities which combine efficiency and relaxation,” Amjad added.
Ehab S. Shouly, Senior Vice President and Marketing Director of Omniyat Properties, said that when he and his team started developing the product concept for The Binary, they wanted to create an office tower which helped make its inhabitant more efficient, more creative and more productive.
“We didn’t want to build just another office tower with a gym and a pool as facilities. We wanted to design an office tower which people wouldn’t want to leave. We conducted research into the factors that contribute to reducing the efficiency of an employee and set out to overcome these factors,” he said.
The marketing research showed that employees’ efficiency was reduced during the day because of the time wasted getting to and from the office when they leave the building to run errands or to go out for their lunch break or go to see the doctor or even pay their traffic fines and phone bills.
The Binary was designed as a self-contained building where the employee wouldn’t have to leave it except to go home at the end of the day, and can get a lot of errands run during the day while they are at work. Omniyat also integrated a lot of recreational and relaxation facilities which allow employees to recharge their batteries.
The retail area of The Binary was designed taking into consideration the different outlets that may be required on a day-to-day basis by tenants of an office building. It contains a travel agency, a bank, a print-and-copy-shop, a book and stationery shop, a flower and chocolate shop, a pharmacy, a mini-mart, a bakeria, and a laundry counter.
The ground floor also contains a day-care centre where parents working in the building can leave their children all day and can check on them from time to time. To help the ladies working in the building to relax, a nail bar is also integrated in the ground floor. The Binary also has a car spa where cars can be washed, fixed or polished.
Omniyat Properties also introduces a Smoking Zone in The Binary. “Research also found that a good percentage of office employees are smokers and as more and more companies are banning smoking in their offices, and public areas are becoming increasingly no-smoking. So we didn’t want smokers to have to smoke outdoors,” Shouly said.
So that people working in the building do not waste time unnecessarily during their lunch breaks, there will be a wide choice of eating options in The Binary. “There will be two restaurants, a Lebanese one and an international one. We also have space for two small coffee shops or one big one, as well as an ice cream shop,” he added.
The Binary also has a medical zone on the first level of the podium. The zone includes a dental clinic as well as two medical clinics. A pharmacy on the ground floor serves the Medical Zone. “How many times have we all postponed our trip to the dentist due to lack of time. Now there are no more excuses,” Shouly said.
To save even more time for tenants of the building, an Etisalat telephone payment machine as well as a traffic fines payment machine will be installed in the lobby of the building. The lobby will also feature a shoe polishing station as well as Omniyat’s Robo-Bar, a robot which prepares and serves cold and hot drinks.
Shouly pointed out that to increase the efficiency of the people working in the building, Omniyat’s OYSTER concept ensures that they are always refreshed and relaxed. Therefore a Tranquility Zone was introduced to the building where employees can re-charge their batteries by indulging in one of the features of the zone.
The Tranquility Zones includes the first Beach Deck in the Middle East, an artificial beach with real sand, real water and waves and real “beach sounds” -- courtesy of a simulator -- on the roof of the shorter 21-storey tower. The beach deck features sun-loungers where employees can go for creative inspiration or just to relax.
The Tranquility Zone also includes a room full of Nap-Shells, a closed bed where people can take a 15-minute power nap anytime during the day.
“Research has shown that a 15 minute power nap during the day can increase an employee’s efficiency by more than 15% during that day,” Shouly noted.
The Tranquility Zone also features Aqua Massage machines, where staff can get a water-jet massage without having to take off their clothes and without getting wet. There is also an oxygen bar, a juice bar, a corner library and an internet café. For those who prefer to exercise, there is a gymnasium with shower and changing facilities.
Across from the Tranquility Zone is the Executive Club, which is a members-only club for the senior executives of the companies operating in The Binary. The Executive Club has its own lounge area, restaurant and even an outdoor seating area that faces the beach deck. “We felt that blue-chip companies would appreciate an Executive Club,” he said.
Shouly expressed confidence that companies which purchase or rent office space in The Binary will benefit from an at least 15% increase in their staff’s efficiency, productivity and creativity thanks to the many features of the building. “We believe this concept will catch on and be adopted worldwide,” he said.
Tarek Kandil, Deputy Director of Sales at Omniyat Properties, noted that The Binary includes more than 420,000 square feet of office and retail space available for sale on a freehold basis at the entrance of the Business Bay district, on Sheikh Zayed Road between the first and second interchanges.
He said the company has already sold more than 60% of The Binary in the pre-launch stage to investors who have bought full floors and half floors with the aim of reselling them or keeping them as a long-term investment and renting them out. “Our first two projects have been sold out, and The Binary will be very soon,” Kandil said.
© 2006 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
