Lusail City and Msheireb Downtown Doha in the spotlight at world’s largest real estate gathering
Cannes, FRANCE – 8 March 2012: With more than 3500 visitors in its first two days, the Qatar Pavilion is garnering a great deal of attention at MIPIM 2012, a leading international real estate fair hosted this year in Cannes. Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company and Msheireb Properties, alongside Lusail Real Estate Development Company, are showcasing their top projects, with a special focus on Lusail City, to visiting industry professionals and VIP guests at the pavilion.
While touring the interactive stand, CEO of MIPIM Paul Zilk commended the Qatari companies on the success of their pavilion, a first‐of‐its‐kind structure at the main entrance of the Palais des Festivals.
“Qatari Diar and Lusail are at MIPIM to promote our signature projects in Qatar and across the globe, while helping to drive the dialogue on sustainable urban development within the global real estate industry,” said Eng. Essa Mohammed Ali Kaldari, CEO of Lusail Real Estate Development Company. “We are featuring Lusail City at this key property event as the embodiment of our vision for a progressive, sustainable development that improves quality of life and contributes to the community.”
Eng. Mohammad Al Marri, Projects Director of Msheireb Properties, said: “Qatar returned to MIPIM with a bang, but our involvement this year was distinguished as much by the quality of our ideas as it was by the scale of our developments. Visitors to MIPIM in 2012 were hugely impressed by the imagination and synergies of Qatar’s world‐class development companies, as well as the depth of the insights shared by the global industry speakers participating in the first‐ever Qatar Urban Forum. Realising sustainable urban development is one of the key challenges facing present and future generations, and Qatar is showing through initiatives like the pavilion and forum that it has a leading role to play in addressing this challenge.”
The Qatar Pavilion, organized by Qatari Diar,Lusail and Msheireb Properties, is also serving as a venue for the inaugural Qatar Urban Forum—a new platform bringing together industry heavy weights to address the most pressing issues surrounding urban development. In its second day, the forum focuses on the relationship between modernization and cultural identity in urban design.
On the opening day of the forum, world‐renowned architect Lord Richard Rogers commented, “Qatar is one of the most exciting places in the world in terms of urban regeneration and sustainable development.” Lord Rogers went on to note the strong “sense of place” he noticed in the projects displayed at the Qatar Pavilion.
Eng. Essa Kaldari believes this sense of place in Lusail’s design comes from the company’s commitment to reflecting local culture and heritage while meeting the highest standards in sustainable and green building.
In addition to Lusail City, Qatari Diar’s dynamic portfolio of developments from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Americas were on display at the Qatar Pavilion, which also received a visit from the Deputy Mayor of London Sir Edward Lister on MIPIM’s opening day. Sir Lister thanked the Qatari exhibitors for their investments in his city, chief among which are the Grosvenor Waterside, Chelsea Barracks and East Village projects.
Msheireb Downtown Doha aims to reverse the pattern of urban sprawl and heavy reliance on car transport that characterizes the downtown of so many cities and entice residents back to the city center by creating a realm that is truly integrated with multiple, interwoven usages. Msheireb Properties’ distinctive mandate is to develop a modern downtown that takes cues from Qatari vernacular and urbanism, yet has a highly contemporary, sustainable approach: the entire scheme is targeting average LEED Gold certification, making it the world's first sustainable downtown regeneration project.
Qatari Diar, Lusail and Msheireb Properties will conclude their exhibition in Canne on Friday. The 2012 MIPIM is attended by more than 4,000 real estate investors, with over 19,000 participants from all regions of the world.
About QATARI DIAR Real Estate Investment Company:
Wholly owned by the Qatar Investment Authority, QATARI DIAR Real Estate Investment Company was established in December 2005 to support Qatar’s growing economy and to co‐ordinate the country’s real estate development priorities. QATARI DIAR is currently developing or planning 49 projects in 29 countries around the world. QATARI DIAR is becoming established as one of the world’s most trusted and respected real estate companies because of its commitment to quality, local community, partnership and hallmark sustainability. QATARI DIAR’s hallmark vision of sustainable development places community and local traditions at the forefront. The Company aims to create and manage property investments and developments which not only comply with the best international standards, but which also strongly reflect local culture and values. As a result, QATARI DIAR’s projects deliver a distinctive and sustainable social, economic and environmental benefit to the community. In addition, QATARI DIAR often enables local and international developers and investors to partner in its projects, and to work together in exploring other opportunities, both locally and internationally.
About Lusail Real Estate Development Company W.L.L.:
Lusail Real Estate Development Company, a subsidiary of QATARI DIAR Real Estate Investment Company, was established in September 2008 and is dedicated to executing the development, construction and ongoing operations of the flagship Lusail City development project. LREDC was created to facilitate relationships with Lusail City's primary stakeholders including the investors and development partners in the project. Lusail City is a visionary development of the State of Qatar, master‐planned by QATARI DIAR and developed by LREDC, to become a unique state‐of‐the‐art city in Qatar, the region, and worldwide. The Lusail City development project is one of the largest and most elaborate developments being undertaken around the world, over a substantial area of 38 square kilometers where more than 200,000 people will live, work, raise their families and enjoy their lives. It will encompass not only new residential, commercial, and retail opportunities, but a full array of community needs, complete with schools, medical facilities, entertainment and shopping centers.
About Msheireb Properties
Msheireb Properties is a real estate company and a subsidiary of Qatar Foundation. The company was established as a commercial venture to support the Foundation’s aims, as well as the goals of Qatar’s 2030 Vision. Msheireb Properties’ mission is to change the way people think about urban living and improve their overall quality of life, through innovations that encourage social interaction, respect for culture, and greater care for the environment. Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser established the company with a mandate to address a gap in the architectural history of Qatar and rediscover a unique form of Qatari urban development. Msheireb Properties aims to understand and implement how the best of the past, and modern, innovative technologies and thinking can blend to create a new architectural language in Qatar. The company’s flagship development, Msheireb Downtown Doha, embodies this bold philosophy. It is the world’s first sustainable downtown regeneration project in a modern metropolis: the QR20 billion redevelopment of the historical centre of Doha, the Qatari capital. The 31‐hectare site is a mixed‐use development which will containover 100 buildings with a combination of commercial and residential properties, retail, cultural and entertainment areas. Construction work on the company’s signature project Msheireb Downtown Doha was initiated on January 13th, 2010, by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, who revived an age‐old Qatari tradition by leaving her royal handprint on the cornerstone of the project, due to be completed by 2016.
