Walking into Ibrahim Al Ghurair’s offices in Downtown Dubai is a similar experience to entering a minimalist show flat.
Modernist white sofas stand against blank white walls and a sleek kitchen surface devoid of clutter is visible against floor to ceiling windows featuring chrome coloured aluminium finishes.
Mr Al Ghurair, who is entering Dubai’s property market as a developer for the first time, has built a full-sized replica of one of the 50 flats from Muraba Residences – currently under development on the Eastern crescent of the Palm Jumeirah between the Anantara and Rixos hotels.
Having bought the land from Nakheel 18 months ago – and founded his new development company, Muraba, just over a year ago – Mr Al Ghurair who previously worked as a commodities trader and then in the properties division of Dubai-based family conglomerate Al Ghurair Group, is pressing ahead with ambitious plans.
Work on the Dh300 million nine-storey project started in the third week of November last year with the appointment of the contractor Khansaheb.
A marketing launch is due to take place later this month.
But one thing is certain; Mr Al Ghurair is passionate about the architecture of his project, travelling all the way to Spain to find a designer he felt was suitable to meet the needs of his scheme – RCR Arquitectes.
“Most apartment building designs start with the building itself; creating a shell into which the apartment layouts have to fit,” says Mr Al Ghurair, relaxing on the mock-up apartment’s white sofa and gazing out of a show window that would open out to a view of the Burj Al Arab.
“We’ve approached it from the other way around; we asked the architects to look at the plot, its location, aspect and orientation and then start with the apartment design; optimising the design from the inside out, rather than creating a building shell and then fitting apartment units to that frame.”
Facilities include a swimming pool overlooking the Arabian Gulf and the Dubai skyline and an indoor gym.
But prices for the 46 apartments and four penthouses are eye-wateringly high.
The smallest two bedroom apartment, at 1,700 square feet, starts at Dh4.9 million. Prices for 6,600 sq ft penthouses stand at a whopping Dh25m.
Q&A
What is Palm Jumeirah?
One of the world’s biggest artificial islands, Palm Jumeirah was built by Nakheel between 2001 and 2007. It includes a 5.4 kilometre monorail connecting the Atlantis Hotel to the Gateway Towers at the foot of the island.
How much do most apartments cost there?
House prices on Palm Jumeirah, are some of the most expensive in Dubai. According to Asteco, during the third quarter of last year, apartments on the palm shaped island sold for between Dh1,200 and Dh2,800 per square foot – an increase of 21 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier. The only comparable prices for major areas in Dubai covered by Asteco are for Downtown Dubai where apartment prices stood at between Dh1,600 and Dh3,000 per sq foot.
What are the plus points of Muraba Residences?
If the mock-up apartment is anything to go by, then the interior architecture of each of the individual apartments will be stunning. I particularly liked the minimalist feel to the kitchen and bathroom.
What are the drawbacks?
The project has only just started being built and the developer is a new kid on the block with no track record. It is also a shame that the private beach is a short walk away from the block and could be overlooked by further building work by the time residents are in situ.
lbarnard@thenational.ae
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