The Nest at Al Barari in Dubai provides green dream living amid arid desert


Andrew Scott
  • English
  • Arabic

Al Barari has launched The Nest, a development of villas.

Ranging from Dh7.7million to Dh12m, the 99 villas will be part of a verdant ecosystem situated off the Mohammed bin Zayed Road.

The development is hidden by tall trees and thick green bushes on the opposite side of MBZ to Global Village. One can quite easily miss this housing estate because of the nature that has been planted and the height of the sand dunes that surround it.

Al Barari literally means “wilderness”.

The drive in brings you through deep foliage and a green vista one does not usually associate with Dubai or the desert. The landscape is a natural reserve and contains the region’s largest privately owned plant nursery, producing 700 varieties.

The Nest started building in mid-March but has no set completion date as yet. The development plan shows each villa with a built-up area of 6,300 to 7,000 square feet with plot sizes ranging from 9,000 sq ft to 15,000 sq ft. In all the 99-villa community will span 2.41 million sq ft. All the villas will face the skyline of Dubai with excellent views of Burj Khalifa.

The Nest villas feature a private pool, outdoor shower, outdoor entertaining area, barbecue area, landscaped gardens with a lawn and parking for two cars. Floor-to-ceiling windows will allow unfettered views of the lush surroundings.

All the villas will have solar panels on the roof.

Al Barari already has two developments, The Reserve and The Residences, fully occupied with infrastructure catering for leisure and entertainment.

The Nest’s residents will have access to the ultra-modern facilities of the wider Al Barari development including Body Language health club, a fully equipped gym, an outdoor temperature-controlled pool, tennis courts and a full schedule of group exercise classes. It also offers a restaurant, The Farm, and Heart & Soul, Al Barari’s signature destination spa.

The future development includes a retail village, dining venues, a vanity area, floating market, lakes and water features and themed gardens.

Q&A

Martyn Crook, business development director at Al Barari, gives details about the project.

The villas went on sale on Sunday, how many have you sold?

We have sold 92 out of the 99 so far, which is an incredible response in a week. We thought the market was ready because we had an amazing response to our apartments that were sold in February, Seventh Heaven, which are low-rise, nine floors and 11 floor apartments.

When will The Nest be delivered?

We have a schedule that says 24 months, but I think we can easily deliver them in under 18 months; we want to over-deliver and under-promise.

How many villas will be on Al Barari when The Nest is completed?

There will be 319 villas sitting in 19 million square feet of land, but Al Barari will be a destination with hotels, villas, offices and serviced apartments in the future. I don’t want to say when that will be a reality, but the plans are there and the vision is sustainable.

How big is the nursery on Al Barari?

It is 1.6 million sq ft and we grow all our plants there so that we are able to keep the beauty and exclusivity of the development to a maximum. We are looking at opening the nursery up to the public so that they can see the incredible plants we grow there. They can come now and buy plants, but it has the potential to be a destination on its own.

ascott@thenational.ae

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The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

MATCH INFO

Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')

Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')

Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE CLOWN OF GAZA

Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah 

Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

While you're here
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

The bio

Who inspires you?

I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist

How do you relax?

Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.

What is favourite book?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times

What is your favourite Arabic film?

Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki

What is favourite English film?

Mamma Mia

Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?

If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.  

 

VEZEETA PROFILE

Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

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