Dubai Property of the Week: is this Dh65m villa the UAE's most hi-tech home?


Ian Oxborrow
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There is no doubt that the UAE is home to some spectacular properties. From penthouse apartments to plush villas with sprawling gardens and incredible pools, it’s a real estate haven.

Each week, The National showcases some of the finest homes on offer in its Property of the Week. Here, we take a closer look at a modern villa on Frond N of Dubai's Palm Jumeirah.

The key details

This five-bedroom, six-bathroom beachfront home is spread over three levels and covers a 8,598-square-foot total built-up area and 6,767-square-foot internal built-up area. It also has 1,831 square foot of balcony.

It is positioned to receive sunset views with Atlantis, The Palm visible, and has been finished to the highest level of luxury.

It is on the market with Knight Frank for Dh65 million.

What's the story?

Dubai is well known as a city embracing the future. Smart technology and innovation are at the core of the city's development plans, so it should come as little surprise to see the housing market embrace some funky new gadgets and techniques to make lifestyle that little bit more luxurious and intuitive.

In this case, the main futuristic feature is the windows. There's no unlatching and pushing open to be done here to feel a breath of the winter air. Instead, it has a motorised window system that can be operated from your smartphone. Now that is smart.

Even if the windows weren't next-level technology, they would be hugely impressive due to their size and the amount of light that is allowed in.

There's also integrated Ubiquiti Wi-fi and Mobotix high-security surveillance systems. Provisions are in place for two automated panel blinds or curtains and a custom central water filtration system for safe and healthy water.

It's the overall design and style that really deserves a thumbs up, however. It's modern without feeling like you're living too far in the future, and the double-height windowed lounge must be one of the finest living areas created in Dubai.

Elsewhere in the house there are marble and wooden floors, a walk-in wardrobe in the master bedroom, a Jacuzzi bathtub, roof terrace and study.

To top it all off, the garden has a huge pool with Italian pearlescent mosaic tiling and swimming jets.

An evening view out from the Palm Jumeirah villa
An evening view out from the Palm Jumeirah villa

What the broker says ...

Is this one of Palm Jumeirah’s most technologically advanced properties?

Undoubtedly this villa is one of the most technologically advanced on Palm Jumeirah. But it is not just the technology that stands out, it is the overall design and attention to detail from the pocket doors to the Minotti furniture, the bookmatch grey marquina marble to the full automation of the blinds. The swimming pool even has a custom designed machine to generate waves for active swimmers.

How do the ‘motorised window systems’ work?

The motorised guillotine windows by Swiss company Vitrocsa are one of the most impressive features of the house. Each pane weights more than 500kg, meaning there is 1.5 tonnes of double glazed specially heat reflective and tinted glass. These uniquely thin frames of 20 millimetre allow the frames to have a minimal impact on the views. Meanwhile a special stainless steel bearing system allows for effortless opening of these huge panels to create the prefect indoor-outdoor living environment. On top of all this the windows are fully integrated with the Crestron home automation allowing them to be operated by iPhones and iPods and they can even be voice controlled through Alexa.

How has architecture on the Palm evolved? Has it become less traditional/more extravagant?

Certainly the shift in Dubai and the Palm has been to more modern contemporary villas, but very few have managed to achieve this level of authenticity, quality and design that enables it to stand out from the crowd.

Is there anywhere else in Dubai you could find a home like this?

Quite simply, no. This home was custom built and crafted to perfection. Most homes in Dubai have been engineered by master developers. This home has been designed as a bespoke piece of modern architecture and as such is quite unique.

- Andrew Cummings, partner and head of prime residential at Knight Frank

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk

“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”

“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”

“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”

“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO

Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain

Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude

Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE

Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally

Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science

Other ways to buy used products in the UAE

UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.

Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.

Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.

For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.

Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.

At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

Updated: February 11, 2022, 4:11 AM`