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Emaar.E.C is working hand-in-hand with SAGIA to create
KAEC’s master plan
a competitive business environment for the Kingdom and
Six inter-connecting districts make KAEC a self-contained environment
create an investor-friendly zone. Progress on the project has and economy. These are:
been swift, with Emaar.E.C issuing regular updates on the first
Industrial Zone: A 63 million-square-metre district covering almost
phase of development. “KAEC made rapid progress in 2008,
a third of KAEC’s total land mass, the Industrial Zone will cater to the
with the first phase of the project currently being undertaken.
requirements of small, medium and large scale manufacturers with
This is a mammoth project envisaged to usher in a new era of custom built plants and factories. Sectors expected to enter KAEC include
socio-economic progress in the Kingdom,” remarked Fahd Abdul
petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and research and development activities.
Mohsen Al Rasheed, board member and CEO, Emaar.E.C.
Sea Port: A 2.6 million-square-metre seaport that will allow the world’s
largest vessels to drop anchor. Its strategic location on the Red Sea will
Under construction
provide access to key cities within Saudi Arabia as well as facilitating the
KAEC’s phased development has specific targets and objectives
movement of cargo to the rest of the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia.
An integrated transport system will provide high-speed transfer from sea
for each element of the project. The first phase encompasses
to road, rail or air, while a dedicated Hajj terminal will provide a gateway for
development of the infrastructure and main roads network. It also
over 500,000 pilgrims each year.
includes phase one of the Industrial Zone; developing a residential
village of over 2.5 million square metres; developing phase one
Central Business District: Flagged to become the new pillar of Saudi
Arabia’s economy, the 3.8 million-square-metre Central Business District
of the Resort Zone and construction work is ongoing across all
will focus on finance and investment, providing office, hotel and mixed use
areas, including the Sea Port. The aim is to create 10,000 anchor commercial space. Central to this will be the Financial Island, set to become
jobs during the first four years by attracting enterprises to KAEC.
the regional base for the world’s largest banks and financial institutions.
In 2008, several hundred homes and offices, as well as plots in the
Resort Zone: Set on four kilometres of pristine beachfront, the Resort
Industrial Zone were offered for sale, generating overwhelming
Zone will provide a mix of waterfront hotels and boutique residences,
local and international investor response. spas, golf resorts and meeting and incentive facilities. A total of 22,500
Al Rasheed also commented on the infrastructure development,
rooms, suites and served apartments are planned. The resort will also
which is being finalised with the goal of making KAEC the first
boast an exclusive retail element, an international-class signature 18-hole
golf course and an equestrian club.
fully-integrated Smart City in the region. Key work undertaken
includes the design and construction of 2,334 villas, bridges, Residential Communities: KAEC will offer several unique residential
canals, infrastructure work for the Industrial Zone, and the design
districts, covering 51 million square metres and offering a total of
of hotels, shopping centres and an 18-hole golf course.
150,000 units. Phase 1 will see the development of a duo of integrated
living communities within different sections of the city. It will comprise
“In addition, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King
waterfront apartments and resort-type community developments,
Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, laid the foundation of significant totalling around 3.7 million square metres across two districts – the
initiatives such as the Plastics Valley, dedicated to plastics
luxurious Bay La Sun Village community and the township development
of Esmeralda.
industries, and other new projects such as Healthcare City,
Educational Zone: Located in the heart of KAEC, this multi-university
campus, including the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology,
will also include two research and development parks, and will provide
facilities for 18,000 students, with 7,500 faculty and staff members.
Media City, Science Research Complex, Environment Protection
Centre, Cadre Technical City for human resources development,
Thunderbird Middle East University and Colombia University,” he
added.
With over 13,000 professionals and skilled workers employed on
site, work is progressing around-the-clock to deliver homes and
offices in the Residential Communities and the first land plots in the
Industrial Zone, as per schedule, this year.
Commenting on the various partnerships announced in the last
two years, Al Rasheed said: “Last year, we entered into several
other strategic agreements with global players for implementing
the six key components of KAEC. These regional and international
PREVIEW Cityscape Saudi Arabia
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