“Sowwah Central , nuova “retail destination” di Abu Dhabi

di Paola G. Lunghini
Gulf Related, partnership tra Related Companies (  una tra le maggiori società di development immobiliare in USA ) e GulfCapital, leading alternative asset management firms del Middle East , sta facendo sorgere ad Abu Dhabi – nel nuovo central business district  “Al Maryah Island” – il progetto “Sowwah Central”.E’ questo un retail-led mixed use development che, con 214 mila metri quadrati di superficie (retail, hotel di lusso e una torre residenziale) sarà ben più grande di qualsiasi  shopping centre urbano in Europa.
L’ area era stata acquistata nel 2012 dalla società Mubadala Real Estate & Infrastructure. Il designer è Elkus Manfredi Architects, di Boston. Traub, leader in retail consultancy, è il  leasing advisor per  The Galleria e responsabile per la tutta la  merchandising strategy del complesso.
Sowwah Central verrà completato nel 2017.  A quel punto comprenderà una ottantina di marchi della ristorazione ( “ al fresco cafés” , bistro e ristoranti di alta gamma), attività di leisure per bimbi e giovani, cinema, un centro benessere : in tutto, un combinato di ben 500 diverse opzioni .
La prima fase del Progetto è “The Galleria” , 51 mila metri quadrati di retail, che  aprirà in agosto . La superficie è al 100% affittata da brand del lusso , tra cui  molti italiani : Armani, Bottega Veneta, Brioni, Bulgari, Dolce&Gabbana, Fendi, Geox, Gucci, Moschino, Prada e Zegna. E, ancora, Balenciaga, Boucheron, Burberry, Cartier, Dior, Dupont, Jimmy Choo, Lanvin, Van Cleef&Arpels,  Yves Saint Lauren, etc.
In una nota di Stampa, la Società developer spiega che:
«by 2017, Sowwah Central will be integratedinto 1.5 million square meters (15.8 million sq. ft.) of completed and occupied developments including Sowwah Square, comprised of The Galleria, four Grade ‘A’ commercial towers, Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), Rosewood Hotel and Four Seasons Hotel; new office towers for both the National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Al Hilal Bank; and Cleveland Clinic. The entire district will be highly accessible and directly interconnected by air conditioned passageways and serviced by over 15,000 parking spaces.
Gulf Related is a regional real estate development company focused on retail, residential and high-end mixed-use real estate developments in the Middle East.  Gulf Related represents a joint-venture between Gulf Capital, one of the Middle East’s leading alternative asset management firms, and Related Companies, one of the largest private real estate development and investment firms in the United States.  The Gulf Related team leverages its core competencies from Related in real estate planning, development and management; while Gulf Capital brings strong regional relationships, access to deal flow, and fund raising capabilities. Gulf Related is focused on pursuing marquee large-scale mixed-use real estate development opportunities in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia.  In addition to developing The Galleria at Sowwah Square and Sowwah Central, Gulf Related is developing a 550 unit expatriate residential compound in Riyadh, KSA.  Gulf Related is identifying additional multi-phase, master-planned, mixed-use development opportunities in urban centers as well as large-scale community developments.  Related brings to Gulf Related the expertise that has created some of the most internationally recognizable and celebrated retail driven mixed-use developments in the United States such as the Time Warner Center in New York and CityPlace in West Palm Beach, as well as the currently under development Hudson Yards in Manhattan, at 1.4 million square meters (15 million sq. ft.) the largest private development in the USA.
Al Maryah Island (formerly Sowwah Island) has been designated as Abu Dhabi’s new Central Business District (CBD), which forms a key component of the UPC’s Capital 2030 Plan.  Located at the midpoint between Abu Dhabi’s existing downtown and new residential districts, Sowwah Square marks the completion of Phase 1 of Al Maryah Island’s development and an important milestone in the Government’s strategic urban development plan. Sowwah Square has been developed by Mubadala Real Estate & Infrastructure (MREI) and modelled on the world’s leading mixed-use, 24-hour CBDs.  It comprises of The Galleria alongside four international Grade A office towers, already home to a mix of blue-chip global and regional companies including Deloitte, GE, Gulf Capital, Booz & Co, JP Morgan, Macquarie Bank, Herbert Smith Freehills and the Regulation and Supervision Bureau.  Sowwah Square will also incorporate the new Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the ultra-luxury Rosewood Abu Dhabi and Four Seasons hotel Abu Dhabi»