Dubai Property of the Week: is this Dh65m villa the UAE's most hi-tech home?


Ian Oxborrow
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There is no doubt that the UAE is home to some spectacular properties. From penthouse apartments to plush villas with sprawling gardens and incredible pools, it’s a real estate haven.

Each week, The National showcases some of the finest homes on offer in its Property of the Week. Here, we take a closer look at a modern villa on Frond N of Dubai's Palm Jumeirah.

The key details

This five-bedroom, six-bathroom beachfront home is spread over three levels and covers a 8,598-square-foot total built-up area and 6,767-square-foot internal built-up area. It also has 1,831 square foot of balcony.

It is positioned to receive sunset views with Atlantis, The Palm visible, and has been finished to the highest level of luxury.

It is on the market with Knight Frank for Dh65 million.

What's the story?

Dubai is well known as a city embracing the future. Smart technology and innovation are at the core of the city's development plans, so it should come as little surprise to see the housing market embrace some funky new gadgets and techniques to make lifestyle that little bit more luxurious and intuitive.

In this case, the main futuristic feature is the windows. There's no unlatching and pushing open to be done here to feel a breath of the winter air. Instead, it has a motorised window system that can be operated from your smartphone. Now that is smart.

Even if the windows weren't next-level technology, they would be hugely impressive due to their size and the amount of light that is allowed in.

There's also integrated Ubiquiti Wi-fi and Mobotix high-security surveillance systems. Provisions are in place for two automated panel blinds or curtains and a custom central water filtration system for safe and healthy water.

It's the overall design and style that really deserves a thumbs up, however. It's modern without feeling like you're living too far in the future, and the double-height windowed lounge must be one of the finest living areas created in Dubai.

Elsewhere in the house there are marble and wooden floors, a walk-in wardrobe in the master bedroom, a Jacuzzi bathtub, roof terrace and study.

To top it all off, the garden has a huge pool with Italian pearlescent mosaic tiling and swimming jets.

An evening view out from the Palm Jumeirah villa
An evening view out from the Palm Jumeirah villa

What the broker says ...

Is this one of Palm Jumeirah’s most technologically advanced properties?

Undoubtedly this villa is one of the most technologically advanced on Palm Jumeirah. But it is not just the technology that stands out, it is the overall design and attention to detail from the pocket doors to the Minotti furniture, the bookmatch grey marquina marble to the full automation of the blinds. The swimming pool even has a custom designed machine to generate waves for active swimmers.

How do the ‘motorised window systems’ work?

The motorised guillotine windows by Swiss company Vitrocsa are one of the most impressive features of the house. Each pane weights more than 500kg, meaning there is 1.5 tonnes of double glazed specially heat reflective and tinted glass. These uniquely thin frames of 20 millimetre allow the frames to have a minimal impact on the views. Meanwhile a special stainless steel bearing system allows for effortless opening of these huge panels to create the prefect indoor-outdoor living environment. On top of all this the windows are fully integrated with the Crestron home automation allowing them to be operated by iPhones and iPods and they can even be voice controlled through Alexa.

How has architecture on the Palm evolved? Has it become less traditional/more extravagant?

Certainly the shift in Dubai and the Palm has been to more modern contemporary villas, but very few have managed to achieve this level of authenticity, quality and design that enables it to stand out from the crowd.

Is there anywhere else in Dubai you could find a home like this?

Quite simply, no. This home was custom built and crafted to perfection. Most homes in Dubai have been engineered by master developers. This home has been designed as a bespoke piece of modern architecture and as such is quite unique.

- Andrew Cummings, partner and head of prime residential at Knight Frank

RESULTS

Manchester United 2

Anthony Martial 30'

Scott McTominay 90 6' 

Manchester City 0

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.

Company%20profile
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Bio

Age: 25

Town: Al Diqdaqah – Ras Al Khaimah

Education: Bachelors degree in mechanical engineering

Favourite colour: White

Favourite place in the UAE: Downtown Dubai

Favourite book: A Life in Administration by Ghazi Al Gosaibi.

First owned baking book: How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.

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Scores in brief:

  • New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
  • William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
  • Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
  • Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile of Whizkey

Date founded: 04 November 2017

Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani

Based: Dubai, UAE

Number of employees: 10

Sector: AI, software

Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million  

Funding stage: Series A

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile

Started: 2016

Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel 

Based: Ramallah, Palestine

Sector: Technology, Security

# of staff: 13

Investment: $745,000

Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors

BIO

Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.

Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.

Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.

Favourite colour: Black.

Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

Updated: February 11, 2022, 4:11 AM