Azizi, Damac, Binghatti bag top KT real estate awards

Dubai - The award function was attended by real estate stakeholders and senior government officials from different departments

The inaugural edition of Infrastructure and Real Estate Excellence Awards, organised by the UAE's first English newspaper Khaleej Times, was held on Tuesday evening at Palazzo Versace which was attended by the who's who of the UAE's real estate industry and senior government officials from the different departments.
Apart from the senior management team of Khaleej Times, executives of the top UAE real estate developers from Damac Group, Azizi Developments, Deyaar Development, Binghatti Developers, Al Barari Developers, Bloom Properties, Palma Holding, Oriental Pearls, DMCC and others graced the first award ceremony.
Senior government officials from Dubai Land Department, the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai, UAE's Ministry of Infrastructure Development and others also witnessed the award ceremony.
The "Real Estate Developer of the Year Award" was bagged by Azizi Developments while Damac Group chairman Hussain Sajwani was honoured with the "Infrastructure/Real Estate Icon of the Year Award" for his massive contribution towards Dubai's real estate and promoting the emirate on the global scale.
The "Luxury Development of the Year Award" was grabbed by Palma Holding for its Serenia @ Palm Jumeirah project while the "Sustainable Development of the Year Award" went to Al Barari Developers for its eco-friendly project.
RTA, Meeras and Meydan officials receiving the award for 'Best Infrastructure Project for the Year'. KT photo
Among other categories, the "Best Living Development of the Year Award" was clinched by Damac Group for Damac Hills; the "Affordable Development of the Year Award" went to Binghatti Developers for Binghatti Views DSO; the "Best Architecture/Design Award" was also won by Binghatti Developers for its Pearls DSO project; and the "Emerging Developer of the Year Award" was grabbed by Oriental Pearls for its Royal Pearls, Meydan, project.

(From left to right): Abbas Sajwani, Sandeep Jaiswal and Muhammad Binghatti receiving awards from the officials. KT photos
In his welcome address, Vicky Kapur, Executive Editor, Khaleej Times, said infrastructure and real estate have been and will remain for the foreseeable future one of strongest pillars of the UAE's economy.

"We are happy to recognise and facilitate those who have contributed to its excellence here in the country. Homes, offices, malls, theme parks. these are much more than just residential or commercial spaces. These are the heart and soul of the city. Our awards, therefore, focus not just on business and economics achievements - they look at the effects such businesses have on the way we live, work and play here in Dubai and across the UAE. The jury benchmarked the projects against the best-in-class globally, and we are so proud to say that Dubai real estate and infrastructure is second to none in the world," Kapur said.

"With the countdown now on for the game-changing Expo 2020, Khaleej Times is excited to host these awards to showcase the people and businesses behind the unique capabilities of the UAE's real estate and infrastructure sector," he adds.

In the infrastructure projects categories, Dubai Water Canal clinched the "Infrastructure Project of the Year Award" while the recently-opened The Louvre Abu Dhabi museum was bestowed with the "Infrastructure Design (Idea/Concept) of the Year Award".

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) was honoured with the "Infrastructure Organisation of the Year Award" for its canal, metro and tram projects; while the "Infrastructure Contractor of the Year Award" was earned by Consolidated Contractors Company for the Dubai Opera project.
In the public voting category, the "Prestige Living of the Year Award" was given to Dubai Properties for JBR development; the "Family-Friendly Location of the Year Award" to DMCC for JLT; the "Shopping Destination of the Year Award" was grabbed by Emaar for Dubai Mall; and the "Entertainment Destination of the Year Award" was also given to Emaar for Dubai Opera.
In concluding remarks, Ravi Raman, senior vice-president, Khaleej Times, said: "It is an honour for us to award the leaders and amazing brands like the one that we have seen today. At Khaleej Times, we always strives to achieve excellence and it is always great to be in the same league as yours."

He thanked the event partners - Dubai Land Department, Ipsos Business Consulting, Galadari Trucks and Heavy Equipment, Komatsu and RakBank - for the success of the award ceremony.

"This is just the beginning for us; it is a long journey and there is a long road ahead. I can promise you one thing that we will grow year-on-year with your support," Raman concluded.

-waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai