Houses for the nation

In addition to the community elements of the individual villages, the Al Falah housing development will also feature a town centre. This particular co

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Al Falah is a $2.5bn, 1,200ha housing development for UAE nationals near Abu Dhabi, with 4,857 villas and an expected population of 60,000.

The only sign to remind you that you are not in the middle of the open desert, but rather only on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, is the air-traffic control tower of Abu Dhabi International Airport sticking up on the horizon like a cocked thumb.

Everything else is a flat, shimmering expanse of white desert baking steadily in the sun. However, developer Aldar Properties and Abu Dhabi’s Urban Planning Council (UPC) have ambitious plans to turn 1,200ha of this desert into a thriving mini-city for UAE nationals.

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UPC corporate services director Abdulla Al Sahi gave some background to the project. “The government of Abu Dhabi offered the site at Al Falah for the construction of affordable homes for UAE nationals,” explained Al Sahi.

“Rather than simply allocate plots, provide interest-free loans and then wait for villas to be built over an open-ended period, the government requested the design of a number of villa types to be constructed by Aldar Properties within a master-planned area, which would be offered to families based on their specific needs. The villas will then be constructed in a phased manner, according to the comprehensive master plan.”

It is on the occasion of the achievement of the first milestone of this project that Construction Week is paying a visit to Al Falah.

“About 20% of the 4,857 villas are to be delivered in the first quarter of 2012, with the remainder to be delivered by the end of 2012 as part of a phased provision of Emirati housing,” said Aldar Properties director of planning and infrastructure Talal al Dhiyebi.

This means about 971 villas will be handed over at the beginning of next year. Project director Yousuf Al Hosani added that “so far Aldar has completed about 40% to 50% of its work for the first phase of the project.”

The Al Falah project forms part of the Emirati Family Housing Programme, a wider government initiative launched by the UPC to create more social housing for the local population.

“The delivery of these housing communities forms a key part of the government’s commitment to Abu Dhabi’s long-term development, which will ensure that UAE nationals have access to quality housing constructed by reputable, local developers to the highest standards of quality and sustainability,” said Al Sahi.

The overall housing programme will see 13,000 new homes built for locals in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region. “The new communities will enjoy a complete set of infrastructure and social and civic facilities developed as per world-class quality standards,” said Al Sahi.