High profile Dubai project faces delay - architect

Wednesday, 28 October 2009 11:06 AM

PAD PROJECT: An artist's impression of Omniyat's high-tech development in Dubai.

A high-profile Dubai residential project, dubbed one of the world's most high-tech, is unlikely to be completed on schedule, the architect who designed the tower has admitted.

The Pad is a 24-storey tower being built by Omniyat Properties in the emirate’s Business Bay development.

It will house 231 ‘intelligent apartments’ boasting state-of-of-the-art technology covering everything from communications and entertainment to monitoring residents’ body health.

However, its designer has told Arabian Business that he believes the development is running behind schedule.

“The project hasn’t stopped but it is continuing at a much slower pace,” James Law, chairman and founder of James Law Cybertecture International, said.

“It was due to be completed 2010 and there will probably be some delay on that now.

“The developer, just like any other developer, has had to face the pressures of the recession,” he added.

“There’s always a chance [work could be accelerated], but in my opinion I think there will be a longer timeline.”

When The Pad was first unveiled in March 2007, it was scheduled for completion in 2009. According to Omniyat, more than 90 percent of apartments in the building have been sold.

“We are geared towards completing the project in 14 months,” an Omniyat spokesman told Arabian Business.

“However, the exact delivery date will depend on the outcome of discussions with Injaz (the entity that manages infrastructure delivery for Business Bay) to determine when infrastructure and power will be available.

“Once a date is finalised, we will realign our delivery timeline in accordance to the master developer’s plans,” he added.

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Posted by: CT Friday, 30 October 2009 11:35 AM[UAE]

Thank you for your response to my questions, it made things a lot clearer to me.

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Posted by: Now Living Elsewhere Friday, 30 October 2009 4:47 AM[UAE]

If you believe the dates on the pictures (from NB) nothing has changed in 6 months except some formwork has been stripped. Writing is on the wall I reckon.

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Posted by: His Excellency Dr Paul Thursday, 29 October 2009 4:28 PM[UAE] - UAE

All these continued reports of developers continuing to delay and suspend projects, or even shelve them, seem not to tally with the relentless Dubai spin machine that is telling us everything is certain to head upwards next year. Look at all the empty properties folks. Look at all the blocks nearing construction. Look at the stream of people still running and taking debts with them. Look at the hotels slashing room rates as occupancy tumbles. Where is all the demand to fill all these empty apartments to come from? At present some landlords are simply opting out for 6 months in the hope things pick up. But they cannot sit with expensive properties lying vacant for long. Mortgages, service charges, etc. eat up cash. The bottom line is that the construction crash will take half the jobs in Dubai with it. Unless someone comes up with a great new scheme to ship in a million white collar jobs in the next 6 months to fill all the vacant luxury flats, there simply is no value in owning a piece of Dubai's legendary property overhang for anything other than speculation.

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Posted by: Kaptain Thursday, 29 October 2009 2:55 PM[UAE] - UAE

The project is never going to be complete.. keep it written and we can be on it.. People are mere foolish not to have waited to see the market indicators.. this market is simply a play of demand and supply where the demand was superfluous, against '0' supply and hence the buyers were duped.. OMNIYAT..?? I guess some one should introduce Omni Buses as a project and receive money in full percentage for travelling while it may be dated to start somewhere in 2015. I bet, with heavy endorsement of such foolish projects, buyers would still be available..

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Posted by: NB Thursday, 29 October 2009 2:04 PM[UAE]

CT The stoppage earlier was due to value engineering, where the Client has introduced a new Structural Engineer [Consultant] and the redesign of the structure elements was done last Aug 09. Now The Client [Omniyat], despite that 90 percent of the apartments has been sold as mentioned in the article above, he has put the project on hold [suspend the work] and more over he asked the main contractor to remove his equipment and form-works from the site, the reason mentioned that the power will be only available on 2011, however if the works resume today the building will not be ready before mid of 2011. If you are interested you can check the main contractor website for PAD Tower which show the progress of work from day one till the work has stopped. http://picasaweb.google.com/Alrostamani.pegel/P059ThePAD#

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