Dubai Creek Harbour
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In November 2019 Of. Studio, the UK-based architectural firm, won a design competition to develop another iconic piece of architecture at the new waterfront development in Dubai Creek Harbour.
The brief for the competition was to encourage architects to challenge their imagination process and come up with innovative and unique concepts. Of. Studio’s entry was chosen for their theme of ‘Garden on the Coast’.
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In August 2022 Emaar Properties PJSC announced it would fully acquire Dubai Creek Harbour from Dubai Holding for a consideration of Dh7.5 billion to be paid equally in cash and shares of Emaar Properties PJSC, thus making Dubai Holding the second largest shareholder of Emaar.
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The deal, approved by shareholders on September 21 2022, allows Emaar to gain full control over the land assets of Dubai Creek Harbour, including entitlement to 100 per cent of its generated profit.
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Emaar recorded sales of Dh4.2 billion in 2021 and Dh3.6 billion sales in Dubai Creek Harbour in the first half of 2022.
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Dubai Creek Harbour has approximately 100 million sq ft of future development which will provide future profit potential to Emaar.
- ‘ Dubai Creek Harbour is at the heart of our bold new vision for Dubai. The eight square kilometrewaterfront destination is bound to push the frontiers of architecture, design and the quality of life. ’
Dubai Creek Harbour at The Lagoons is a new six million square metre mega-city planned for Dubai. It is a joint venture between Emaar Properties and the government owned real estate developer Dubai Holding.
The project runs with the slogan 'discover life at the source’ and is situated next to the Ras Al Khor wildlife sanctuary, famous for its flamingos.
Construction has already begun on the first phase, Dubai Creek Residences, a six tower apartment complex which should offer great views of Dubai Creek and the Dubai skyline.
Transport & Access
From Dubai Creek Harbour it takes roughly 14 minutes to drive to Dubai Mall, 25 minutes to Palm Jumeirah, 24 minutes to Burj Al Arab and 29 minutes to The Walk JBR.*
Dubai International Airport (DXB) is roughly 17 minutes' drive and the new Al Maktoum International Airport is roughly 44 minutes' drive.*
Properties on the Market
Sub-communities
There are four sub-communities in Dubai Creek Harbour. Learn more in the following guides.
Amenities
A key feature of the project is the preservation of the wildlife sanctuary in adjacent Ras Al Khor, which has an estimated 450 animal species, most notably flamingos. A visitor centre will be built to help promote the message of conservation and sustainability.
Local shops and outlets
There are 17 outlets currently open in Dubai Creek Harbour including six restaurants, a men's salon, two ladies' salons, three real estate offices, two pharmacies, two mini marts and a laundrette.
For a full list and analysis of shops and services in Dubai Creek Harbour visit our Dubai Creek Harbour amenities page.
Dubai Creek Harbour Location
The map below shows the location of Dubai Creek Harbour and just below are summaries of the nearest attractions, parks, beaches, golf clubs and cinemas. For a more in-depth look at the local attractions, and to see what's on in and around Dubai Creek Harbour, visit our Things to Do guide.
Local Schools
Dubai Creek Harbour has many schools nearby including Swiss International Scientific School Dubai at 2.2 km and Deira International School at 2.4 km.
In terms of performance there are two schools nearby that have achieved either of two highest government inspection rating of 'Very Good' or 'Outstanding' including Deira International School which has a rating of 'Very good' and Universal American School which also has a rating of 'Very good'.
Things to Do
We've partnered with LadiesNightDubai.com and BrunchCrunch.ae to give an overview of the current Ladies Nights and Brunch offers in the vicinity of Dubai Creek Harbour. For full nightlife listings and to see what else is happening nearby see the Things to Do page.
Nearby neighbourhoods
Explore communities that are either adjacent or close to Dubai Creek Harbour.
Masterplan
A look at the original masterplan published by the developer at the time of the launch of Dubai Creek Harbour.
Dubai Creek Harbour has been designed as a place where people can work, live and play in harmony with nature.
CallisonRTKL’s masterplan is for a ‘walkable, accessible and sustainable city of the future’ with over 7.3 million square metres of residential space and 3.2 million square metres of retail, hotel, office, cultural and community space.
This high density urban district will be capable of accommodating over 200,000 residents, and a 450,000 living and working population.
The master plan incorporates a permeable accessibility network composed of streets, squares, parks and plazas, allowing people a range of choices in moving from place to place within the community.
Aware that the construction of such a huge district will necessarily be done in phases, the master planners have designed a series of distinct, self-contained but still connected neighbourhoods each of which can be built as a single phase of the development. The first of these are The Island District, Creek Beach and Dubai Square.
When it is completed Dubai Creek Harbour will be one of the largest developments in Dubai as well as the largest ‘walkable’ community. There will be a number of civic and cultural attractions, including a 30-hectare central park and a new waterfront development on Dubai Creek.
Sustainable drainage, green roofs and multimodal transport, including rental bicycles and an on-site bus and tram network, will help ensure the environmental sustainability of the project, its responsiveness to Dubai’s culture and climate and its adaptability for decades to come.
Design Stage
Images depicting the initial concept designs for Dubai Creek Harbour.
Projects often go through a number of design revisions as they progress and developers may or may not honour their original plans when it comes to architectural designs, amenities and landscaping. The images below are provided as a means to compare the original plans with the realised development.
Dubai Creek Harbour History
Dubai Creek Harbour is essentially a re-launch of the troubled Lagoons development which was initially proposed in 2006 by fledgling real estate company Sama Developments, but it fell victim to the global financial crisis and was subsequently scrapped.
The ambitious project was set to cover an area of 70 million square feet at a cost of US$18 billion. It was to have consisted of seven islands (Al Dana, Al Sedaifa, Al Jiwin, Al Naama, Al Lulu, Al Hassabi and the Opera House island) interlinked with bridges and would have included residential units, shopping centres, office buildings and marinas. The central island was earmarked for a business district and featured a cluster of four super-tall tentacle-shaped skyscrapers called Dubai Towers. The Dubai Opera House, with an equally crazy design, was designed by internationally renowned architect Zaha Hadid.
In 2007 excavation began at the Lagoons and some basic infrastructure was built, but in 2008 things started to go south when four members of the developer's management team were arrested on bribery charges and eventually imprisoned. At the same time the global financial crisis hit Dubai and sales began to dwindle. The project was put on hold and in 2009 the government firm Dubai Holding reshuffled its subsidiaries, including the now bankrupt Sama Developments, and laid off many staff. Eventually the Lagoons masterplan was scrapped along with the Dubai Towers, and the Opera House was redesigned and relocated to Downtown Dubai.
Emaar Properties stepped in to take up the reins and in 2013 presented a completely revised masterplan centred on two super-tall skyscrapers, Dubai Twin Towers, and a six tower residential complex called Dubai Creek Residences, in much the same way as they launched their other flagship projects, Dubai Marina and Downtown Dubai - even the architecture is almost the same.
The developer hasn't said whether any of the already excavated lagoons will be retained but the images recently published suggest they will be replaced with buildings.
In February 2016 Emaar showed off the competition entries for a single tower to replace the original plan for two skyscrapers at the centre of the Dubai Creek Harbour development. In April 2017 Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava won the competition with a design for a ‘spire’ that would be taller than Burj Khalifa. It was to be known as ‘The Tower’, but its height has been kept secret, fuelling speculation that it would be taller than the Kingdom Tower in Jedda (Saudi Arabia). For more information click on this link: Dubai Creek Tower.
In August 2017 Emaar launched 17 Icon Bay a 43-storey residential tower located in Dubai Creek Harbour’s Island District.
In March 2018 the developer unveiled The Grand at Dubai Creek Harbour, a 63-storey residential tower containing more than 500 premium apartments, penthouses and podium townhouses.
Construction Updates
In January 2016 Emaar Properties awarded the construction contract for the Dubai Creek Residences project to Al Basti & Muktha LLC (ABM), the Dubai based construction that built the Old Town District in Downtown Dubai.
Dubai Creek Residences is a complex of six residential towers that form part of The Island District, a six square kilometre modern development in Dubai Creek Harbour.
The Island District will allegedly have over 1,000 world-class hotel rooms and over 600 luxury retail shops and cultural amenities, while the six 30- to 40-storey residential towers will contain one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.
No exact time frame has been published for the whole project, but considering the district is four times the size of Downtown Dubai construction is expected to be phased over the next 20 years.
See the development of Dubai Creek Harbour in photos:
Dubai Creek Harbour in the News
Dubai Creek Harbour Buildings
There are 42 building developments in Dubai Creek Harbour. For a full list of all Dubai Creek Harbour buildings visit our Buildings Guide.
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