Khaleej Times honours realtors
dubai — The inaugural edition of the Infrastructure and Real Estate Excellence Awards, organised by the UAE’s first English newspaper Khaleej Times, was held on Tuesday evening at the Palazzo Versace. The event was attended by the who’s who of the UAE’s real estate industry and senior government officials from different departments.
Apart from the senior management team of Khaleej Times, executives from top UAE real estate developers such as Damac Properties, Azizi Developments, Deyaar, Binghatti Developers, Al Barari Developers, Bloom Properties, Palma Holding, Oriental Pearls, DMCC and others attended the award ceremony.
Senior government officials from the Dubai Land Department (DLD), the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai and the UAE’s Ministry of Infrastructure Development also participated in the award ceremony.
The ‘Real Estate Developer of the Year Award’ was bagged by Azizi Developments while Damac Group chairman Hussain Sajwani was honoured with the ‘Infrastructure/Real Estate Icon of the Year Award’ for his contribution towards Dubai’s real estate and promoting the emirate on a global scale.
The ‘Luxury Development of the Year Award’ was won by Palma Holding for its Serenia @ Palm Jumeirah project while the ‘Sustainable Development of the Year Award’ went to Al Barari Developers for its eco-friendly project.
And the awards went to
Among other categories, the ‘Best Living Development of the Year Award’ was clinched by Damac Group for Damac Hills; the ‘Affordable Development of the Year Award’ went to Binghatti Developers for Binghatti Views DSO; the ‘Best Architecture/Design Award’ was also won by Binghatti Developers for its Pearls DSO project; and the ‘Emerging Developer of the Year Award’ was grabbed by Oriental Pearls for its Royal Pearls, Meydan, project.
In his welcome address, Vicky Kapur, executive editor, Khaleej Times, said infrastructure and real estate have been and will remain one of the strongest pillars of the UAE’s economy for the foreseeable future.
“We are happy to recognise and facilitate those who have contributed to its excellence here in the country. Homes, offices, malls, theme parks… these are much more than just residential or commercial spaces. These are the heart and soul of the city. Our awards, therefore, focus not just on business and economic achievements — they also look at the effects such businesses have on the way we live, work and play here in Dubai and across the UAE. The jury benchmarked the projects against the best-in-class globally, and we are so proud to say that Dubai real estate and infrastructure is second to none in the world,” Kapur said.
“With the countdown now on for the game-changing Expo 2020, Khaleej Times is excited to host these awards to showcase the people and businesses behind the unique capabilities of the UAE’s real estate and infrastructure sector,” he added.
In the category of infrastructure projects, the Dubai Water Canal clinched the ‘Infrastructure Project of the Year Award’ while the recently-opened Louvre Abu Dhabi was bestowed with the ‘Infrastructure Design (Idea/ Concept) of the Year Award’.
Infrastructure awards
Dubai’s RTA was honoured with the ‘Infrastructure Organisation of the Year Award’ for its Canal, Metro and Tram projects; while the ‘Infrastructure Contractor of the Year Award’ was earned by Consolidated Contractors Company for the Dubai Opera.
In the public voting category, the ‘Prestige Living of the Year Award’ was bestowed on Dubai Properties for Jumeirah Beach Residence; the ‘Family-Friendly Location of the Year Award’ to DMCC for Jumeirah Lakes Towers; the ‘Shopping Destination of the Year Award’ was won by Emaar for The Dubai Mall; and the ‘Entertainment Destination of the Year Award’ was also given to Emaar for the Dubai Opera.
Ravi Raman, senior vice-president, Khaleej Times, said: “It is an honour for us to award the leaders and amazing brands like the ones we have seen today. At Khaleej Times, we always strive to achieve excellence and it is great to be in the same league as yours.”
He thanked event partners — the DLD, Ipsos Business Consulting, Galadari Trucks and Heavy Equipment, Komatsu and RakBank — for the success of the award ceremony.
“This is just the beginning for us; it is a long journey and there is a long road ahead. I can promise you one thing that we will grow year on year with your support,” Raman concluded.