Guaranteed rental income, unrelenting quality standards, and innovative design features may prove to make the new La Riviera Towers, to be developed by B&M FZCO in Dubai Marina, a blue chip investment.

"Besides offering investors a minimum rental income, we deliberately did not take any short cuts to save ourselves expenses on construction costs, but rather focused on increasing value adding elements to offer the buyer more value for their investment," says Abdul Rauf Razzak, MD to the developing company of this 37-storey luxury residential tower which will be ready for occupation by July 2005.

With 20 years of waterfront developments under his belt in Pakistan, Razzak knows what the customers wants and what ultimately leads to a good return on investment.

He has broken away from the standard rectangular block style for high-rise buildings, introducing a broken-up facade where every apartment will be a corner unit offering great views.

Views from the living room areas will also be optimised by glass panels stretching from the roof to the floor with no balconies in the way as these will only be at the corners of the building.

All internal walls in the apartments will be flat without protruding elements, and in the three level basement hassle free parking will be achieved by using transfer columns instead of big pillars which normally obstruct these often neglected spaces.

Other value adding features will include a three level entrance atrium, natural daylight lobbies on every floor, individually operated air-conditioning units for each apartment, high pressure ducts for kitchens to eliminate cooking odors and real cold water taps as water will be stored underground.

Several other innovative touches in the kitchen designs – there are a choice of seven – as well as the living areas will certainly make this a desirable residential location.

To top it all the building will have the taste and style of a French Riviera development for which the prestigious architect firm Holford Associates has been commissioned. The foundations contract has already been awarded to Middle East Foundation, one of the three specialist foundations firms in the UAE.

The la Riviera Tower will be located in Zone 4 of Dubai Marina, and sold as freehold property to UAE Nationals, expats and foreign investors on easy payment terms along with financing facilities.

Two, three and four bedroomed apartments will be up for sale as well as four bedroomed duplex suites. Prices for the two bedroom units start at Dh585,000
Each owner is entitled to a residential visa who in turn can act as a sponsor for families visiting.

Building maintenance for the Tower is currently pegged at Dh5 per square foot per month. The developer will take care of the maintenance of the building through a management company for at least the first year or until the Home Owner's Association takes over.

The 37th floor will be transformed into the Riviera Club, a fully equipped health club which features a rooftop eternity pool with a specially designed canopy that protects bathers from direct sunlight yet gives the feeling of an open pool.