It's official: Eid Al Adha is on Oct 4; UAE holidays announced

Federal employees get four days off; private sector may get three days offBased on the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Chairman of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, has issued a circular on Eid Al Adha holidays for Federal ministries and agencies.

The holidays will start from Friday, October 3, 2014, until Monday, October 6, 2014.

That is a four-day holiday break for the festival. All Federal employees will return to work on Tuesday, October 7.

Eid Al Adha will fall on Saturday October 4, 2014, in Saudi Arabia, accordng to Saudi Supreme Court as the crescent moon has been sighted.

This was after the Saudi Supreme Court had called on all Muslims in the Kingdom to sight the crescent moon of the month of Dhul-Hijjah on Wednesday evening, 29th of Dhul-Qi'dah, 1435 AH corresponding to September 24, 2014.

Arafat Day will be on Friday October 3. Consequently, Eid Al Adha would begin on Saturday, October 4.

With Eid Al Adha falling on a Saturday in Saudi Arabia, there are little chances of extended holidays in the UAE even as GCC peer Kuwait has given the entire week off to its residents, resulting in nine days of holidays.

UAE residents are now eagerly awaiting the official confirmation on the length of the break they will get early next month.

The Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia had requested in its announcement that whomsoever sees the crescent of the month of Dhul-Hijjah with naked eyes or binoculars to report to the nearest court and register his testimony or report to the nearest centre to facilitate his reaching of the court.

It also urged all Muslims to sight the crescent for the cooperation of all in righteousness and piety.

Earlier Story

Shorter Eid Al Adha holidays in UAE? Could Eid fall on October 4?

The Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia has called on all Muslims in the Kingdom to sight the crescent moon of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, on Wednesday evening, 29th of Dhul-Qi'dah, 1435 AH corresponding to September 24, 2014.

The court requested in its announcement that whomsoever sees the crescent of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, with naked eyes or binoculars, to report to the nearest court and register his testimony, or report to the nearest center to facilitate his reaching of the court.

It also urges all Muslims to sight the crescent for the cooperation of all in righteousness and piety.

If sighted, Arafat Day would be Friday October 3. Consequently, Eid Al Adha would begin on Saturday, October 4. If so, holidays would be shorter and may not extend for the whole working week.

But, with about two weeks still to go and depending on the sighting of the moon, Eid Al Adha may also fall on Sunday, October 5, 2014, according to the Chairman of Islamic Crescent Observation Project (ICOP). However, Eid may well fall on October 4, as Mohammed Shawkat Awda was quoted as saying in the 'Al Bayan' daily.

UAE residents are eagerly awaiting the official confirmation on the length of the break they will get early next month.

If Eid Al Adha does fall on Sunday (October 5), a nine-day holiday break could well be in store for employees working in the country's public sector.

While an official announcement will come closer to the actual dates, going by past precedent, public sector employees in the UAE could enjoy a nine-day break, including weekends. October 5 is a Sunday, and as has been the case previously, five days of public holidays may well be declared - till Thursday, October 9.

Real Madrid looking to build Abu Dhabi theme park

While its plans for a resort in Ras Al Khaimah may have collapsed, Real Madrid is still pursuing leisure plans in the Middle East, with a theme park in Abu Dhabi a strong likelihood.

The Spanish football club had signed a deal with the RAK government and the RAK Marjan Island Football Investment Fund to build a 50-hectare themed resort on the man-made island.

While it had been scheduled for completion in January 2015, the plans were shelved last year and the RAK authorities are negotiating with new partners for the project.

However, speaking at the club’s general assembly recently, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez indicated that it still had ambitions for the UAE, Sport 360 reports.

“We're getting there,” he said. “There has never been any economic cost to us. But instead of doing it in a small Emirate, we're trying to do it in a location in Abu Dhabi.

"We are continuing to advance plans for a theme park where the experience of living Real Madrid will be unique."

This comes amid rumours that the club is preparing to sell naming rights to IPIC (International Petroleum Investment Company), which is owned by the royal family of Abu Dhabi.

According to Marca, which closely follows Real Madrid developments, the rights could be sold for up to €500 million over 20 years.

Earlier this year, the world’s first ever Real Madrid Café opened in Jumeriah Beach Residence in Dubai.

Qatar could lose World Cup, says FIFA official

A senior FIFA official has said he believes the 2022 World Cup will not take place in Qatar, the planned host country, because of the risks posed by the hot weather. [SCROLL DOWN FOR AN UPDATE, WITH COMMENTS FROM QATAR 2022 ORGANISERS AND FIFA]

Qatar won the bid for the football tournament in 2010 and the event is widely expected to be a big boost for the tourism and hospitality industries, among others.

However, it has been mired in controversy since it was awarded the World Cup, with concerns over the treatment of workers in the country and allegations of corruption in the bidding process, as well as the hot weather.

"I personally think that in the end the 2022 World Cup will not take place in Qatar,” FIFA Executive Committee member Theo Zwanziger told Sport Bild.

"Medics say that they cannot accept responsibility with a World Cup taking place under these conditions.”

While organisers have insisted that they would cool stadiums, training areas and fan zones, the former German football chief insisted there are still health concerns.

According to a Reuters report on his comments, he raised the possibility of investigations by state prosecutors if a fan was to be out in a life-threatening position.

“They may be able to cool the stadiums but a World Cup does not take place only there," he said.

Both FIFA and the 2022 World Cup organisers have raised the possibility of the World Cup moving to the winter to avoid high temperatures.

However, this is likely to be met by strong opposition from domestic leagues around the world, which would be disrupted by the tournament.

UPDATE: 2022 organisers swiftly responded to Zwanziger's comments, insisting the tournament will take place in Qatar. "The only question now is when, not if," Qatar 2022 communications director Nasser Al Khater said in a statement. "Summer or winter, we will be ready."

FIFA also emphasised that Zwanziger was expressing his personal opinion and that they did not represent the organisation's views.

Marriott 'teleports' guests to new lobbies

Using the latest virtual reality technology, Marriott Hotels is 'teleporting' guests at a number of its hotels so that they can explore the new Marriott Greatroom lobby. 

The brand has partnered with Academy Award-winning Framestore to create Marriott Hotel’s virtual travel experience, giving consumers a fully immersive, 4-D sensory experience based in Oculus Rift technology

Taking its cues from science fiction books and movies, The Teleporter features the Oculus Rift DK2 virtual reality headset, wireless headphones and suite of onboard 4-D sensory elements.

Once guests enter The Teleporter and attach the necessary devices, they can visit a virtual version of a new Marriott Greatroom lobby, before experiencing the feeling of traveling to Hawaii’s Wai’anapanapa Black Sand Beach in Maui and London, seen from the dizzying heights of Tower 42.

While ‘traveling’, 4-D elements such as the feeling of the warm sun on the ski, or breeze in the hair, kick in to enhance the experience.

“Marriott Hotels is pioneering the use of innovative technologies that will transform the guest experience to heights unseen in the current reality experience in unprecedented ways,“ said Marriott Hotels Brand Marketing vice president Michael Dail.

“Marriott seized on virtual reality and teleportation to give the next generation of travellers the clear cut notion that more amazing travel experiences are coming and to encourage them to co-create the future of travel with us on TravelBrilliantly.com, where their best ideas enter Marriott’s innovation pipeline. Together, we are pushing the limits of what is possible.”

The Teleporter is touring eight select Marriott properties from September to November, offering hotel guests and the public the chance to teleport themselves at Marriott Hotels in New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Dallas, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco.

This video gives a behind-the-scene

Now THIS Is How You Mix Old & New

A classic city townhouse is on the shortlist of nearly everyone's fantasy real estate purchases. One couple, Jennifer and Jimmy Oppenheimer, get to live the dream in their Chicago townhouse. Though the home's handsome features make it seem as if the property has been there for generations, it's actually new construction. (Local architect Phillip Liederbach carefully researched the iconic homes of the period designed by David Adler, for inspiration.)

To give their new home unforgettable style, the Oppenheimers called in the fabulous designer Steven Gambrel to create a look that's one part vintage and one (big) part modern drama. Check out the photos below to see what we mean, along with what you can learn from this incredible townhouse.

Meet Abu Dhabi’s exclusive luxe community on Nurai Island

 Nurai Island, Abu Dhabi, is a 10-minute boat ride from an air-conditioned jetty house on Saadiyat Island. As we board and speed away, past the mangroves, all thoughts of the bustle of the city melt away. Rounding a corner, we catch our first glimpse of the private, beachfront estates and water villas of Zaya Nurai Island, and could be forgiven for thinking that we’ve been transported to a luxury resort in the Seychelles.

This is Abu Dhabi’s most exclusive address: all 23 residential, waterfront villas – each costing upwards of Dh20 million – on the 4.3-million-square-foot island have been sold. Nurai Island’s master plan includes 32 luxury boutique retreats for hotel guests, a spa, restaurants, a marina, a non-motorised water sports centre, a yoga studio, a gymnasium, a tennis court, a helipad and more.

The resort and living environment have been designed for a community of successful, discerning individuals who want somewhere they can really relax, explains Nadia Zaal, the chief executive and co-founder of Zaya Retreats. “The wives had been saying: ‘We keep having to cancel our holidays.’ So wouldn’t it be amazing to give them a holiday environment, closer to home, which they could use more often?”

                                                  

Just 20 minutes from Abu Dhabi, or an hour from Downtown Dubai, the island getaway was envisaged as the perfect antidote to city life – without international flights and extensive travel.

Each of the island’s private residences sits on a generous plot – up to 65,000 square feet – and has uninterrupted views of the Arabian Gulf, not to mention the occasional dolphin.

Nadia has worked on the island’s development since its acquisition in 2008, and explains that they wanted to create a “virgin island; the rationale behind the design was that you felt like it was integrated into the landscape and wasn’t harsh on the eye”.

                                                   

Curved, eco-friendly “grass” roofing seamlessly joins banks of planted grasses to pull the estate villas into the island topography. Planting is still in progress, but this has already bedded the architecture to the land, creating an aspect that is both natural and enticing.

The island’s only hotel, Zaya Nurai Island by Zaya Retreats, is due to open in the fourth quarter of this year, and will provide the island’s residents with full concierge services, housekeeping, maintenance, security and catering. When a new homeowner queried what he needed to bring for his first trip, Nadia responded: “Just bring your clothes, that’s it; everything else is taken care of.” There are no cars on the island – residents can arrive either by a regular or on-demand speedboat service; there's also provision for private yacht mooring. On-land transport is strictly by buggy only.

To create a destination that’s beautiful, functional and unique, and a location where people can “disconnect in order to reconnect with what’s important”, Nadia sought those who could respond on an emotional level to the vision that they had for Zaya Nurai Island. She decided to “take a chance”, not with an architect, but with a product designer – Drow of Drow Studio – as she felt an immediate rapport with the young designer and his ability to think differently. Drow worked on developing the concepts for Nurai’s architecture, creating the desired "virgin-island" homes, with buildings melded into the landscape.

Drow joined forces with AW2, the Paris-based architects responsible for a number of award-winning resort projects including The Nam Hai in Vietnam. The results speak for themselves.

No two homes are the same, as owners select various permutations and functions for their rooms, as well as the hard finishes for their properties. 

We visit an estate villa, where Nadia’s mother, Lesley Zaal, an interior designer and the founder of Etcetera Living, is putting the final touches to the interiors and pool area of the property. The owner and his family are due to arrive shortly to view their new home.

Damac to plant forest in Dubai desert for Akoya Oxygen development

Damac plans to plant a forest in the desert to help sell its latest Dubailand project.
The property company known for its lavish developments today revealed plans for its 55 million square feet Akoya Oxygen project.
The London-listed developer aims to transplant 4,000 trees to create what it describes as a “lush green environment” on the site that will be located off the Umm Suqeim Road extension.
It wants to sell homes around its planned golf course development but did not disclose the number of units to be sold or their cost.
“From low emission residences, to our utilising of recycled materials, all this will contribute in transforming Akoya Oxygen into the first green luxury residential address in Dubai,” said Ziad El Chaar, managing director of Damac Properties.
Damac is one of several Dubai developers investing in Dubailand where a number of projects were put on hold in the wake of the 2008 property crash but which is now witnessing a strong rebound.

Visit www.jassimdecor.com for more...

Dubai Frame design controversy

A row has broken out over the design of the Dubai Frame, a tourist attraction set to be constructed in Zabeel Park.

Fernando Donis, a Mexican architect, won a competition in 2009 to design the structure as his idea was selected from 926 designs in the ThyssenKrupp Elevator Architecture Awards – sponsored by Dubai Municipality, the body that would be responsible for building the structure.

But according to a report in newspaper The National, Donis claims changes to his design revealed by the local authority are in breach of the competition rules.

 He has written an open letter on the issue to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

“The tone of the letter and intention to go public is to solicit the intervention of the Ruler of Dubai, as we assume he is not aware of this situation, to hopefully still participate in the process of the project; and now make them see that the design alterations they are making – next to unlawful – are misguided,” he was quoted by the newspaper as saying.“The project is being transformed from being non-figurative architecture to an overscale figurative photo-frame. That is, from being a modern, public monument to a postmodern pastiche.”

The structure, due to be completed next year, is to be 150m tall and 100m wide. Plans include a transparent walkway constructed from glass between its two sides to give visitors the impression they are walking through the sky, with 360-degree views across the city.

Expo 2020: Mega-projects to look out for in Dubai

Several mega-projects are set to commence in preparation for the much-anticipated Expo 2020, expected to be delivered earlier than 2020. These following mega mixed-use projects, when completed, will shape Dubai’s new  skyline.

Bluewaters Island: The Dh6 billion Bluewaters Island is set to be one of the largest tourist hotspots in the world. It will feature a demarcated retail, residential, hospitality and entertainment zones and will house Dubai Eye, the world’s largest Ferris wheel.

Mohammad Bin Rashid City: Comprising four key components, the new city will focus on family tourism, retail, arts and entrepreneurship. The first component focuses on family tourism, and will include a park equipped to receive 35 million visitors and a family centre for leisure and entertainment set up in collaboration with Universal Studios. There will be over 100 hotel facilities to meet the needs of visitors. The second component, focusing on retail, will feature the largest shopping mall in the world, “Mall of the World.” The third component will include the largest area for arts galleries in Mena. The fourth component will see the development of a unique area that will provide an integrated environment for entrepreneurship and innovation in the region.

Deira project: Nakheel will built the Deira project, which being be developed on four existing islands of Palm Deira project. The project, covering 1600 hectares, will be a waterfront destination, adding over 40 kilometres, including 21 kilometres of beachfront, to Dubai’s existing coastline. The cost of the project has not been disclosed.Three hectares have been dedicated to hotels and resorts and 424 hectares for mixed-use developments. A night market designed in the style of a Arabic souk will be built, having over 1,400 retail units and restaurants with a number of anchor stores.There will be an amphitheater with a capacity 30,000 people; a creek marina to accommodate large yachts and a range of additional marinas offering mooring facilities directly outside residences. The island will also have a number of waterfront plots for hotels, resorts and serviced apartments. The three remaining islands will also feature hotels, resorts and residential, commercial and retail units.

Dubai Adventure Studios: Meraas Holding is developing a Dh10-billion destination that focuses on delivering a multi-faceted leisure and entertainment experience to residents and tourists. Located at Jebel Ali, the project will feature five distinct theme parks based on movies, animals and fun characters that shall appeal to all demographics. Dubai Adventure Studios, the first phase of the development plans for which were announced by Meraas in December 2011, will anchor the new destination and is expected to be completed by 2014.

MBR District One: With a market value of Dh21 billion, Mohammed Bin Rashid City - District One will have 1,500 luxury villas, a 350,000 square meter water park, the largest crystal lagoon body of water in the world with seven kilometre of lagoons and man-made beaches, retail zones, leisure and sports attractions. The project, which will be delivered in four phases, will be completed in six to eight years time. Work has already commenced on the project, which is a joint venture between Medyan and Sobha Group.

Dubai Water Canal: The Dh7.34 billion Dubai Water Canal will connect the Business Bay with the Arabian Gulf passing through the heart of Dubai. The waterway will stretch 3 kilometers in length and width ranging from 80 to 120 meters. All construction works of the project’s infrastructure including drilling and building bridges is set for completion in 2017.The project comprises new shopping and entertainment centres linked through a uniquely designed bridge, over 450 new restaurants along with a wide array of luxurious marinas for yachts, and four world-class hotels.

Taj Arabia, Mughal Gardens: Taj Arabia, a replica of India's Taj Mahal, will be a 350-room hotel and serviced apartments. It will be part of Mughal Gardens development being developed by Link Global Group in Falcon City of Wonders in Dubailand. Taj Arabia will a 350-room hotel and serviced apartments and it will be an all-glass structure. India’s The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts will be managing the hotel.

The Lagoons: Dubai Holding and Emaar Properties will jointly develop The Lagoons, a waterfront city within the multi-billion-dollar Mohammed Bin Rashid (MBR) City. A master development, which will be over three times the size of Downtown Dubai, will cover an area of six million square metres. The centerpiece of the development will be the Dubai Twin Towers, a mixed-use development, which is envisaged to join the rank of the world’s most prestigious skyscrapers.

8 Rooms Showcasing Industrial-Style Design

              In the height of the industrial revolution, the exposed brick, duct work and pipes of factories were not a desirable look, but simply inevitable. Today, leaving the inner workings of a home exposed, or even bringing in recycled, raw materials is a strong design movement with emphasis on aesthetic, rather than necessity.

Industrial style adherents may have begun the style with raw, original and reclaimed materials, but today many retailers carry items, that although brand new, would look at home in a 19th century factory or barn.

Want to get the look? Here are eight rooms featured on Zillow Digs, to get those wheels — corroded metal ones, of course — turning.

Expose the ceiling

Embrace the duct work or exposed beams of a ceiling. Add minimal accessories and white walls to enhance the impact.

It’s concrete

Eco-friendly and affordable, concrete is a great choice for durable countertops in an industrial-inspired spaces.

Better with beams

Even if the home is not a factory loft, create the same feel as one with metal beams and simple pendant lighting.

Statement light

Lighting is an easy way to change the feel of a room. This extended pendant light adds an immediate rustic feel to this simple kitchen nook, designed bybright designlab interior design.

Sleek cabinets

Custom steel and laminate cabinets are a nice juxtaposition against reclaimed wood floors.

Warm up a space with wood

Industrial doesn’t have to mean cold. Use reclaimed wood to create a statement bar.

Concrete walls

Cut down costs and increase a room’s cool factor and leave concrete walls as is in a living space.

Wall of windows

Factory-style windows do wonders for brightening an industrial space.

Award winning loft manipulates conventional forms in interior design

What began as a simple renovation of a Melbourne loft apartment finished as an example of innovation in spatial planning and Australia’s best interior design for 2014.

The main spatial requirement of the client brief was to add a bedroom and recreational roof deck to the existing apartment. From there, project architect Adrian Amore said the design response was completely up to him, leaving him unencumbered scope to explore and experiment.

A by-product of Amore’s experimentation is the unique sculptural staircase and interior walling structure that showcases his fascination with contorting surfaces and traditional material manipulation.

“I am interested in this idea of shaping something as though it has been physically manipulated, by applying a force either through pulling, pushing, bending,” said Amore.

“So starting with a conventional form, and then shaping through the process of contorting the surfaces to give it life, movement. The stair is an example of this, where I started with a conventional circular stair on paper, then applied this process of manipulation so it appears as though it has been pulled and bent.”

The staircase’s external skin comprises a 6mm and 10mm plasterboard amalgamation covered with a hardplaster top coat and painted finished. This skin is now fixed to 6mm plywood sheeting that was bent on site, and braced by timber battens and hardplaster.  A steel frame and timber treads complete the unique staircase, which judges from the Australian Interior Design Awards called an expert exploration of volume and plasticity.

“Generated from a concept primarily focused on its interior, the apartment possesses a sculptural quality - made evident through the central staircase - that is ethereal and sophisticated in its execution,” cited the jury.

“The spatial planning within the apartment reveals the hand of the designer; a skilful hand that expertly creates and explores volume, plasticity and light, culminating in an interior that is invigorating, sumptuous and liveable.”

Amore said this spatial planning of the former warehouse apartment evolved through experimenting with functional layouts and partitioning options, and by considering natural light and movement patterns.

“The ground floor is on large space which has the ability to be divided into enclosed spaces, using floor to ceiling sliding doors to achieve this. There is the ability to control the level of permeability and movement through the space.”

With his 2D CAD, 3D Rhinoceros modelling software and his structural engineer Maurice Farrugia & Associates, Amore also overcame wall space and cavity issues that can be associated with sliding doors through considered spatial planning.

“The bathroom location is critical in the way it breaks up the ground floor space, acting as a buffer between the living and bedroom, and hiding the sliding doors in its walls.”

Furniture selection, a simplistic marble kitchen and bold joinery pieces top off the Adrian Amore Architects design, which in hindsight, did a little more than just meet the client brief.

The Adrian Amore project received the Premier Award for interior design excellence and innovation, as well as the Residential Design award and Best in State (VIC) at the 2014 Australian Interior Design awards.

Interior design companies see big demand as new projects are launched

Dubai: International and regional interior design companies say demand for interiors and fit-outs have gone up over the last year with the announcement of a number of residential, hospitality and retail projects.

Construction projects that are expected to be completed by the end of this year in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are estimated to valued at $128.46 billion, up 92 per cent compared to 2013, according to management consultancy Ventures Middle East. The medical, residential and hospitality sectors are likely to account for more than half of the market, with shares of 24.43 per cent, 23.34 per cent and 22.64 per cent, respectively.

“The UAE market, and the Dubai market especially, is leading the way for the many different types of development. These new projects that are in different sectors will require fit-outs,” said Faisal Al Raisi, chief operating officer of Abu Dhabi-based Galaxy Trading.

“The business is booming in the UAE and there’s good demand. After the announcement of the World Expo 2020 [last November], everyone is more encouraged to come and develop,” he added.

While demand for interior fit-outs is up across different sectors, the most growth is seen in the residential sector, Al Raisi indicated. He was speaking during the International Interior Design Exhibition (Index 2014), which opened on Monday and will run until Thursday at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

According to estimates by consultancy JLL, 39,000 homes are to be delivered in Dubai over the next two years, up 9 per cent over the existing total stock of 365,000 units.

The residential sector accounts for 90-95 per cent of Algedra Interior Design Consultancy’s sales, said Nasser Al Shamali, the company’s sales manager. It also offers interior design services for hotels.

The UAE’s interior and fit-out market is expected to be valued at $2.73 billion this year, according to Ventures Middle East data. The country accounts for 35.5 per cent of the GCC’s interior fit-out market. Estimated expenditure on interiors and fit-outs in the region stands at $9.57 billion, up 29.63 compared to 2013.

Al Raisi expects the company’s sales this year to double from the “over Dh300 million” recorded last year. “We have at least 7-10 projects in the pipeline. We will supply the materials within this year,” he added.

Demand for interior fit-outs has strengthened compared to 2009-2012, according to Olga Gubanova, managing director of Design Group International, which does interior and exterior work for private homes and hotels.

“People are more willing to buy houses than in previous years. There are more hotels being built in the UAE and some GCC countries,” she said.

Egypt-based French Home Furniture, meanwhile, is participating at Index 2014 to look for distributors.

“Dubai is a big market. You have here multinational companies from Europe and Asia,” said Mohammad Al Eraky, the company’s export manager.