Al Barari turns Zen lifestyle dream into reality
Every villa in the Al Barari community is unique. Changes were made to suit the tastes of individual clients
Of the 287 villas, 70 per cent are sold, and five to ten units are being handed over on a weekly basis. The developer is confident that the rest of the available units, starting at Dh20 million apiece for 12,000 square feet, will be sold in their own time, whatever the state of the market. "We have people daily — more than before the crisis — looking at the villas," says Mohammad Bin Zaal, chief operating officer of Al Barari. "Of course, people are more sceptical now and want to take their time to decide."
The five-bedroom-plus homes feature multiple architectural and design styles, and are spacious with well thought-out features such as rooftop terraces. Many of the homes have been extensively adapted to fit in with owner requirements. "Every villa is unique, we’ve had around 4,000 changes throughout the course of this project," Bin Zaal says.
"We are creating this community not for ourselves," he continues. "The clients have to be happy with the product."
Changes were made to individual villa designs by removing walls, moving garden pools around, adding plants and the like. Construction of the villas took about two years to complete. While the project was delayed by a year, that isn’t much by Dubai standards. Al Naboodah Contracting ironed out all the imperfections in due course.
"My family nearly drove them around the bend," laughs Bin Zaal, who will also live in the community. "I cannot wait to move in, but told my clients not to come knocking on my door." And what better vote of confidence could there be for a development than the developer himself choosing to take up residence there with his own family? Here’s hoping the other residents have no reason to go knocking on Bin Zaal’s door — other than a friendly neighbourhood visit, of course.
The layout of the surrounding botanical gardens — to be fully in place within two months, with ponds, streams, resting areas and paths snaking through to the temporary retail facility — promises to make life in Al Barari as idyllic as one could wish.
Cafés and restaurants will be added later. The infrastructure, including a sophisticated underground waste management system and a DEWA sub-station built by the developer, are already in place.
As far as Phase Two is concerned, a major announcement is due next month. This phase is said to encompass a boutique hotel, spa, a mid-rise apartment, offices and retail options.
