Homes from the heart: an inside look at Metrical Developments' award-winning projects in Dubai

The boutique developer behind smart, luxury homes in Dubai has bagged a plethora of local and international property awards for 2020-21

The pool at the award-winning Royal Park residences in Jumeirah Park. Courtesy Metrical Developments

It’s a relatively young player in the real estate market, but Metrical Developments has already grown into a household name – and an award-winning one.

The boutique developer, which launched in 2018, shot into the limelight after its Royal Park project in Jumeirah Park won a slew of local and international property awards, including five at the Arabian Property Awards 2020-2021.

At that ceremony, the high-end, luxury residential community was deemed the Best Residential Development Dubai, Best Residential Property Dubai, Best Architecture Single Residence Dubai, Best Residential Interior Show Home Dubai and Best Architecture Multiple Residence Dubai.

Furthermore, it went on to win international awards for Best Residential Interior Show Home Arabia and Best Architecture Multiple Residence Arabia.

A sneak peek at Royal Park makes its appeal amply clear: the gated and secure community is made up of three and four-bedroom town houses. The two-storey villas feature a kitchen fitted with Italian appliances, custom-created LED-lighting and a design that flows seamlessly from within, out on to the terrace.

The villas are also hooked up to a smart home integration system, which allows residents control of their environment – from the temperature of the AC and the water, to the curtains and security cameras – via a hybrid mobile app and across all smart devices. Metrical Developments uses Google Nest in all its properties, a technology that even sends a monthly energy savings report.

Thanks to these luxury fixtures, elegant layout and prime location, the Royal Park villas sold out in 2019, which is why Metrical Developments is looking to the future with two new projects: Haven Residences and the Royal Park South project, both in Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC).

Haven Residences features one and two-bedroom apartments, where one can expect more of the same premium features and fittings. “It has already been nominated for several international property awards in 2022 and is close to being sold out off the market,” says sales director Darryl Davie. “The Haven apartments are a true hotel-standard living concept and will see rental prices 15 to 20 per cent above market value, very much like our previous projects.”

Meanwhile, Royal Park South has been created to satisfy the current demand and wait list, following the success of Royal Park. “Our ‘build your dream home’ concept is a huge hit, as it allowed property owners to customise their property as it is being built,” says Davie. The JVC project will live up to Metrical's reputation for delivering world-class facilities, and include a gym and pool, plus the developer’s signature award-winning finishes.

Designs that are straight from the heart

“Homes from the heart” is the slogan behind this boutique developer, which prides itself on its transparency, attention to detail and on-time handover rates. That latter assurance is a motto the company takes seriously, too: it promises clients a rental return for every week the property is handed over late.

“When we say we are building homes from the heart, we mean exactly that. We are building homes that we would like to live in ourselves,” says Davie. “The term most used by Metrical clients prior to purchasing is: ‘What’s the catch?’.

“We make bold promises, which are game-changing in the Dubai market and actually deliver on those – from international award-winning interior design and architecture, to guaranteed handover dates, five-year warranties and an overall five-star client experience. Check out our Google reviews; they speak volumes.”

Co-founder Gaber Nehma Kenger adds: “We do things a little different, we always complete projects on time and we give the best quality that the market deserves.

“The truth is that when you use high-quality materials and suppliers, you can give a long-term warranty. This, in turn, gives our clients peace of mind and costs less in the future. You know you won’t run into problems six months down the line.”

Another factor that has led to Metrical’s success is what Davie terms its “end-to-end process”. Everything is done in-house, starting from project selection, designing, implementation, choice of materials, sales and, finally, the handover.

This thoroughness and attention to detail is possible because the company does not appoint contractors; it is the contractor, which also explains the other motto the team stand by: “If you want a job done properly, do it yourself.”

With the onset of the pandemic, the UAE market has seen a massive shift in paradigm towards buying and renting luxury homes. In this time, Davie cites an example that demonstrates the developer’s commitment to putting its clients first. Over the last year, Metrical Developments came forward to assist families whose financial circumstances had changed due to the pandemic by waving penalties and helping them resell their properties in sold-out projects – at a profit.

“Like I said, when we say we build homes from the heart, we mean it,” concludes Davie.