• The tower is 50-storeys high. All photos: Damac
    The tower is 50-storeys high. All photos: Damac
  • Damac Tower Nine Elms comes with fine views across London.
    Damac Tower Nine Elms comes with fine views across London.
  • The project has Versace interiors.
    The project has Versace interiors.
  • The property will have studios and one, two and three-bedroom apartments.
    The property will have studios and one, two and three-bedroom apartments.
  • A rendering of the Nine Elms project.
    A rendering of the Nine Elms project.
  • Floor-to-ceiling windows take advantage of the expansive London views at Damac’s Aykon Nine Elms development.
    Floor-to-ceiling windows take advantage of the expansive London views at Damac’s Aykon Nine Elms development.
  • A rendering of an indoor pool in Damac's Aykon Nine Elms development in London.
    A rendering of an indoor pool in Damac's Aykon Nine Elms development in London.
  • Aykon Nine Elms was designed by architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.
    Aykon Nine Elms was designed by architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.
  • The resident’s lounge at Aykon Nine Elms offers 360-degree views of London.
    The resident’s lounge at Aykon Nine Elms offers 360-degree views of London.
  • Aykon Nine Elms was designed by architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.
    Aykon Nine Elms was designed by architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.
  • A rendering of an indoor pool in Damac's Aykon Nine Elms development in London.
    A rendering of an indoor pool in Damac's Aykon Nine Elms development in London.

Damac Towers Nine Elms in London: Dubai developer completes first European project


Ian Oxborrow
  • English
  • Arabic

Dubai developer Damac Properties has started handing over units at its Damac Towers Nine Elms (DTNE) project in London, marking the completion of its first development in Europe.

The 50-storey development of 450 units including studio and one, two and three-bedroom apartments near the centre of London is a tie-up with Italian fashion house Versace, which has provided the interiors.

As well as 8,010 sq ft of communal gardens, it also has four levels of office space in its South Tower.

“We are delighted to have completed our first project in Europe,” said Niall McLoughlin, senior vice president at Damac. "DTNE is very special to us and we are beyond pleased with the end result."

Average house prices in the UK increased by 12.4 per cent over the year to April, the Office for National Statistics said last week.

The average UK house price was £281,000 ($344,919) in April, which is £31,000 higher than in April 2021.

Damac previously said that Britons, Chinese and Gulf buyers made up the core of the UK customer base for the DTNE development. Homes were on the market from slightly more than £900,000 to £14 million.

“It's an exciting time for Damac and we are rapidly expanding our global footprint by looking at JV [joint venture] opportunities across the world," Mr McLoughlin said.

As well as Versace, Damac has collaborated with various other global brands such as Cavalli, de Grisogono, Paramount, Rotana, Radisson and The Trump Organisation.

The developer last month won a $120m bid to acquire land in the upmarket Miami district of Surfside, where it plans to build a luxury Cavalli-branded condominium project. It will be Damac's first project in the US.

Damac is also developing a luxury resort in the Maldives to be operated by global hotel brand Mandarin International.

In April, it announced it will accept certain cryptocurrencies for property transactions as part of efforts to offer more flexibility to investors, while Damac Group, parent company of Damac Properties, said it plans to invest $100m to build “digital cities” in the metaverse.

Damac's Lagoons project in Dubai - in pictures

  • The Damac Lagoons project in Dubai. All photos: Damac Properties
    The Damac Lagoons project in Dubai. All photos: Damac Properties
  • Damac Lagoons is adjacent to the Damac Hills community.
    Damac Lagoons is adjacent to the Damac Hills community.
  • It will feature eight different clusters.
    It will feature eight different clusters.
  • The eight clusters are inspired by countries based on the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
    The eight clusters are inspired by countries based on the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
  • The community is built around one million square feet of lagoons with white sandy beaches.
    The community is built around one million square feet of lagoons with white sandy beaches.
  • The community was announced late last year.
    The community was announced late last year.
  • The clusters include Venice, Morocco, Santorini, Costa Brava, Nice, Malta, Andalucia and Portofino
    The clusters include Venice, Morocco, Santorini, Costa Brava, Nice, Malta, Andalucia and Portofino
  • The Costa Brava cluster will feature ziplining, rock climbing, kayaking, paddle surfing and wave riding features.
    The Costa Brava cluster will feature ziplining, rock climbing, kayaking, paddle surfing and wave riding features.
  • The project is scheduled to open in 2024.
    The project is scheduled to open in 2024.
  • There will be plenty of entertainment for children.
    There will be plenty of entertainment for children.
In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

The biog

Name: Capt Shadia Khasif

Position: Head of the Criminal Registration Department at Hatta police

Family: Five sons and three daughters

The first female investigator in Hatta.

Role Model: Father

She believes that there is a solution to every problem

 

Bharat

Director: Ali Abbas Zafar

Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

 

 

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Tuesday results:

  • Singapore bt Malaysia by 29 runs
  • UAE bt Oman by 13 runs
  • Hong Kong bt Nepal by 3 wickets

Final:
Thursday, UAE v Hong Kong

The Freedom Artist

By Ben Okri (Head of Zeus)

Sweet%20Tooth
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJim%20Mickle%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChristian%20Convery%2C%20Nonso%20Anozie%2C%20Adeel%20Akhtar%2C%20Stefania%20LaVie%20Owen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Bookshops: A Reader's History by Jorge Carrión (translated from the Spanish by Peter Bush),
Biblioasis

What is graphene?

Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.

It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.

It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.

It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.

Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.

The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.

Updated: June 30, 2022, 10:44 AM