Le Rêve

Intro:

In most apartment buildings, the most sumptuous sits at the top – the penthouse. Le Rêve is all penthouses! Aimed at the wealthy who want privacy and discretion along with the best in home luxury, the building contains quarters for staff and drivers at the bottom, enabling owners to enjoy a lifestyle normally reserved for exclusive hotels. See complete article.

The quote is from an online publication geared toward youthful readers, but its language does well to convey the extraordinary nature of this Marina project. The Le Rêve tower's understated exterior seems to almost deliberately belie its extravagent features. The developer's website expands on this theme:

All residents of Le Rêve benefit from secure private valet parking (with separate living accommodation for chauffeurs on parking floors), access to the temperature-controlled rooftop pool and landscaped gardens, a fully-equipped gymnasium and 24-hour concierge service.

Translated into English, the French Le Rêve means the Dream. The tower rises 210 meters with 82 apartment units spread over its 50 floors. It has already topped out and completion is scheduled for February 2006. The design incorporates two apartment types--one allowing for two units per floor and the other requiring a whole floor to itself. In essence every unit is a penthouse. However, noteworthy distinction may still be applied to the topmost unit or super penthouse--a duplex apartment of unique design with not only 4 dedicated lifts, but also an interior elevator to service its two floors. Highest prices are reportedly in the range of US $7 million.
--31 Dec. 2005
Interior:


With Reference to MAG 218:

This near neighbor to the MAG 218 tower will be striking in its dissimilarities. Appearance-wise the Le Rêve features a mature, classic design while the MAG 218 presents a more youthful, contemporary look. The real differences lie in the interiors and the target market for these two towers. While the MAG 218 is designed to highlight simple functionality and modest yet stylish living, the Le Rêve aims to offer a fully-serviced, exclusive and luxurious lifestyle. It must be said, however, that like the MAG 218, the Le Rêve is more a statment of simple elegance than oppulance or pretension. The tower, despite its exclusivity, will complement the other towers in the neighborhood by adding yet one more unique and distinctive design.

Resources:

• The developer's site, featuring an elegant and informative Flash presentation.
  
• Skyscrapercity.com's forum.
  
• Emporis' Construction Update.

Floor Plan:

   The incredible Royal Classic penthouse. Additional plans at developer's site.

Commentary:

Towering above the Dubai International Marine Centre,
21-Dec-2005

The specs on this tower are amazing. When completed one might expect a measurable influx of capital into the Dubai Marina district, considering the amount of wealth those who move in will need to have. (Eighty-two millionaires in a single tower!) Not only will these residences be expensive to purchase, but annual management fees are sure to represent a substantial continuing investment.

All the luxury aside, the tower's appearance is not so specatacular. Its designer, London based consultancy W.S. Atkins, the same firm noted for having designed the renown Burj Al Arab, seems to have decided to avoid ostentation and go with modest understatment. Many of the surrounding towers will probably draw more attention although none will match the Le Rêve in terms of exclusivity. --31 Dec. 2005

   Seaview from Le Rêve, photo taken by Andrew Lemon.

Go to Dubai Marina Communities' most recent posts, or view the complete listing (by title) of all MAG 218 and Dubai Marina Communities' posts.

Princess Tower

Intro:


This tower makes claims of being the tallest residential tower in the world. (Of course, this is a projected claim as construction is only just getting underway.) The signboard at the site indicates a height of 380 meters but there appear to be other claims of over 400 meters. There are, as well, conflicting reports about the number of floors. The developer's site indicates 100. Interestingly, the 90th floor of the tower (the highest floor perhaps if counting residential floors only) is being called a villa, occupying the entire floor. Expected date of completion is sometime in 2009. --30 Dec. 2005

The tower will be quite impressive if built to specs. The developer indicates that in addition to a variety of residential units, the tower will provide...

offices, sales outlets, car parking spaces, sports and recreational clubs and hotel suites... (also) swimming pools, a gymnasium, a children’s day care nursery, a sauna club, a prayers area... in addition to a luxurious reception area.

With Reference to MAG 218:

The Princess tower will be in view of MAG 218 units facing the SW or marina side of the tower and those facing NW or the sea side of the tower. As a result it will partially obstruct sea views. The Princess, however, will be a considerable landmark, less than 50 meters away. Reaching at least the height of New York City's Empire State building it will be not only the tallest tower on the block, but perhaps the tallest in all of the Marina and among the 10 tallest buildings in the world.

Resources:

• Developer's website 1 and website 2 with impressive Flash illustrations.
  
• Skyscrapercity.com's forum.
  
• Construction status of the tower ala Emporis.

Floor Plan:

   The 90th floor Villa penthouse. Additional plans at developer's site.

Commentary:

The expression "tallest residential tower in the world" seems to come up often in discussions about this tower, therefore questions about its height may remain unresolved for some time as the developer attempts to defend this claim.

Although equipment has been on site for several months little work has been done. Like many of the towers in the Marina, includling also the MAG 218, the start of construction is often delayed without much explanation. An uneducated guess would be that with so many towers going up at the same time in Dubai, it is hard to secure builders and contractors. Lest one is to settle for just whoever is available, delays are probably inevitable. --30 Dec. 2005


  28-Dec-2005, the building site, courtesy Beiklopa at Skyscrapercity.com.

Purchasing Estimates:

Prices (AED) starting from: 1-bed 744,187; 2-bed 1,180,777; 3-bed 2,272,252; 4-bed 2,950,000 and 5-bed penthouses 7,245,000

Go to Dubai Marina Communities' most recent posts, or view the complete listing (by title) of all MAG 218 and Dubai Marina Communities' posts.

The Torch

Intro:

One of the most impressive tower designs for the Marina, this tower will have 74 floors, rising up to 345 meters. It will house 504 luxury apartments in 1, 2 and 3 bedroom configurations, in addition to stunning duplex penthouses.

It is a very popular tower, if not somewhat controversial. This seems due in part to the limited amount of activity that has taken place at the construction site. Completion date appears to be late 2008 or early 2009.

Some the tower's features will include:

• Temperature controlled swimming pools
• Sauna, steam room and spa
• Gymnasium
• Shopping and dining facilities
--15 Dec. 2005

With Reference to MAG 218:

This tower will be "catty-cornered" to the MAG 218's SW (front-facing) side. If the tower is as attractive as its renders show, it will provide a pleasant view for some 218 tower residents. The shopping and dining facilities it offers will also be convenient for MAG 218 residents.

Resources:

• This appears to be the developer's site (Dubai Select) who are also handling sales . It provides info and floor plans but regrettably few renders of the tower.
  
• Skyscrapercity.com's Torch forum.
  
• Emporis' Construction Status Update.

Floor Plan:

   The penthouse floors 55-71. Additional plans at developer's site.

Commentary:

This tower should be an attractive addition to the neighborhood. It will stand adjacent to the Princess tower, expected to be the tallest tower in the Dubai Marina. It will be re-assuring to see piling work commence to dispell the concerns that some investors appear to have. --15 Dec. 2005


Cranes and signboards but no activity.   15-Dec-2005

Go to Dubai Marina Communities' most recent posts, or view the complete listing (by title) of all MAG 218 and Dubai Marina Communities' posts.

Marina Pinnacle

Intro:

71 floors and 260m in height this tower will be SE of the MAG 218 Tower on the Dubai Marina Ring Raod. (Separating the two towers will be a planned Dubai Marina mall.) The tower will offer as many as 748 apartments on 61 residential floors. At present piling work is being carried out within an extremely deep excavation pit. Completion is expected in 2007. Views of the Marina may be spoiled to some extent by the 345 meter Torch tower to be built just opposite. However, partial views should be possible at an angle. --10 Dec. 2005

With Reference to MAG 218:

The Marina Pinnacle, like the Marina Heights will be one of the MAG 218's closest neighbors. The two towers are of similar height and both feature a retangular design, however on closer inspection the Pinnacle is of a more classic, office-tower type design, while the MAG 218 is more stylistic. Ideal to both towers are their juxtapositions beside the planned shopping mall.

Resources:

• The developer site, providing very limited information.
  
• Skyscrapercity.com's Marina Pinnacle forum, offering more extensive info on the linked page.
  
• Emporis' Construction Stauts Update.

Floor Plan:


   A 2-bedroom unit. Additional plans at GoWealthy.com.

Commentary:

The lucky residents of the Marina Pinnacle will have 4 swimming pools (2 indoor/2 outdoor) to enjoy compared to the MAG 218's one. With the two tower's side-views facing each other at relative close proximity, residents may end up sharing more experiences than they'd like! If any two towers are to eventually rival one another in the neighborhood, I predict that these two shall. --10 Dec. 2005


That oh-so-deep pit.   15-Dec-2005

Go to Dubai Marina Communities' most recent posts, or view the complete listing (by title) of all MAG 218 and Dubai Marina Communities' posts.

Marina Heights

Intro:



This tower is just opposite the MAG 218 Tower on the Dubai Marina Ring Road. It is nearing completion--by mid-2006. It has at present "topped-out" and stands some 208m with 54 floors. It promises to offer spectacular views (from one side) of the Dubai Marina waterway, built at water's edge at the NE point of the marina. It is, for some reason, one of the most popular towers on the Skyscrapercity.com Dubai Marina forum. --09 Dec. 2005

With Reference to MAG 218:

This is one of the towers which will block views from the MAG 218 tower, specifically SW facing views. The MAG 218's highest floor reaches 220m therefore, a few of the top floors will have clearance over the Marina Heights tower. That being said, the tower's narrower side faces the MAG 218 and does not entirely line up with it, meaning there will be full or partical views of the Marina from most SW facing units.

Resources:

• Marina Height's developer site, very well laid out.
  
• Skyscrapercity.com's very active Marina Heights forum.
  
• Emporis' Construction Status Update.

Floor Plan:


   The penthouse. Additional plans at developer's site.

Commentary:

A shout out to the soon to be Marina Heights residents: You will be among the closest neighbors to us at MAG 218, and you'll be on the block long before we are! Looking forward to getting to know a lot of you and sharing community activities. --09 Dec. 2005


15-Dec-2005

Go to Dubai Marina Communities' most recent posts, or view the complete listing (by title) of all MAG 218 and Dubai Marina Communities' posts.

MAG 218

Intro:



Of course, it all starts here! Anything that can be said about this tower and project is all at the Community website listed below and in the sidebar. By way of brief introduction, the tower when complete (mid- to late-2008) will stand 275m with 67 floors (55 residential). It is at the NE end of the Dubai Marina, offering partial views of the man-made waterway. --09 Dec. 2005

Resources:

• The most information available on the project is to be found at the MAG 218 Community website--to which this site is an adjunct.
• The developer's site MAG PDD provides official info and contact details.
• Skyscrapercity.com's MAG 218 forum generates some input and discussion on the project.

Floor Plan:
      
    Two-bedroom unit. Additional details at MAG 218 Tower.

Commentary:

This is where the Dubai Marina Communities gets its start. Once the MAG 218 tower is built and occupied, we welcome others in the nearby DM community to come over and give us a shout! --09 Dec. 2005


But still waiting for construction on the tower to begin! 15-Dec-2005

Go to Dubai Marina Communities' most recent posts, or view the complete listing (by title) of all MAG 218 and Dubai Marina Communities' posts.

Introduction to the Dubai Marina

It is, according to its developer Emaar, a "master-planned waterfront community." In reality, it is characterized as much by its water element as by its collection of high-rise towers. Certainly this was part of Emaar's original intent as could be seen in early concept drawings and models. To facilitate this no limits were placed on building heights. What has emerged, however, is probably even beyond what Emaar had envisioned, with several towers expected to soar 80, 90 and 100+ floors.

Due to this it is easy to view the Marina in terms of its tower developments. Though a marina, it's quite unlikely that many residents will be sea-faring. The community can not afford to be that exclusive, needing to attract one- to two-hundred thousand residents to fill its many towers.

Geographically, the heart of the community is its man-made marina--about 3 1/5 kilometers long, with a meandering shoreline and a wide promenade along its border. Beyond the promenade are the residential towers, some hotels and villas, shopping centers and restaurants. At present much of it is under construction, while equally large spaces remain as yet untouched. Barring any unforeseen economic calamities, the Marina will in due course be fully built up.

Despite the concentration of towers, at ground level the Marina appears wide and open (see A Walk in the Marina). It promises to offer pleasant views and pleasant sea-breezes during cooler months, all within a safe, affluent urban environment.

Urban Development

Like much of Dubai, however, the Marina is a work in progress. At present there are far too many cranes, sandpits and concrete lorries to give one the pleasant style of life it promises. Current residents and those waiting in the wings will need to be patient. Probably not until 2007 or 2008 will the full essence of life in the Marina become apparent.


Considered in the context of the rest of Dubai, the Marina is but one part of a massive urban development scheme. The Jumeirah Beach Residences (a dense complex of 40 high-rise towers) separates part of the Marina from the sea, and in close proximity are the Jumeirah Lake Towers development and the offshore Palm, Jebel Ali and World islands. The Marina will be linked to the rest of the city by metro line, tram, new highways and bus services (see Transportation Improvements for Dubai Marina). It will in short be a very thriving community within a much larger city of unprecedented modernity.

Go to Dubai Marina Communities' most recent posts, or view the complete listing (by title) of all MAG 218 and Dubai Marina Communities' posts.

Time to Take the Plunge

No, this isn't about making a decision to sink three-quarters of a million dirham into an apartment. It's about getting started with the Herculean task of fashioning a larger Dubai Marina community website. The idea started as a way to create an adjunct to the MAG 218 Community site, that would allow residents and investors to capitalize on and participate in the larger community. The potential scope of such a project, however, quickly came to seem overwhelming.
That unfortunately caused me to stall in my tracks   !!
Several months later it appears that the Dubai Marina pages are receiving a large number of hits. In order not to dissappoint, I endeavor to start building this site, even if I have to do so one brick at a time!

I have abandoned my original plan of creating a comprehensive listing of all the towers proposed or under construction in the Marina. In stead, and in line with the notion of being an adjunct to the MAG 218 website, I will take a tower-by-tower approach, starting from the vicinity of the MAG 218 tower.

In addition, I shall enlist help from others through the use of a "collaborative blog." In stead of explaining that here, I invite the reader to click on this link to find out how he or she can contribute.

To start with, I will briefly explain The Organization of the Site, to facilitate browsing and participation:

Content will be oganized into five distinct categories (each under its own website):

1. Dubai Marina Communities
2. Dubai Marina News
3. Dubai Marina Info
4. Dubai Marina Photos
5. DM Blog (Dubai Marina)

The Function of Each Category is as follows:

Dubai Marina Communities will introduce and discuss each tower or project. As in a typical blog, whatever is written will be logged by date rather than by topic. Therefore, what you will have is an emerging, somewhat random description of the tower or project. Of course, included in these posts will be discussion, photos and links regrading anything tower/project-specific.

Dubai Marina News will provide links--and some commentary--on news that is relavent to the larger Marina community, as opposed to anything tower/project-specific. Not just any news story or article will be posted but rather only those that introduce new info or shed new light on topics already introduced.

Dubai Marina Info will function as a site to offer directory type information on resources that pertain to the Dubai Marina, and provide details about upcoming events or programs. (In this sense it will be quite distinct from the Dubai Marina News site.)

Dubai Marina Photos will be just that, a photo site. Again it will focus on Marina-wide or larger area shots as oppossed to being tower/project-specific. The objective will be to offer attractive, artistic and comtemplative views of the Marina.

DM Blog (Dubai Marina) will be a site for free-ranging discussion on anything Dubai Marina. Whereas the other sites are to be function oriented, the DM Blog will hopefully emerge as a more spontaneous forum.

In order to make posting fast and easy, no effort will be made to organize posts in any more specific arrangement than that which the 5 distinct categories provide for. Therefore, the best way to browse posts will be to scroll down and pay attention to each post's title and subheading, or quickly view the title of posts in the sidebar.
          Without further ado,Let the evolution of the Dubai Marina Communities websites begin!
Go to Dubai Marina Communities' most recent posts, or view the complete listing (by title) of all MAG 218 and Dubai Marina Communities' posts.