DEMAND FOR d3 CONTINUES TO BEAT EXPECTATIONS
Dubai Design District (d3) today confirmed
that over 140 licenses have been granted for businesses to move to the site, with over 40% of these from the MENA region.
Since its launch by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai in June
2013, d3 has received over 900 expressions of interest, beating
expectations and laying the foundations of a genuine
design industry.
TECOM
Investments’, the developer behind the project also announced plans to
unveil a number of high-profile international brands as the high level of interest in the project from prospective
business partners continues.
Dr Amina Al Rustamani, Group CEO at TECOM Investments, commented:
“As planned, d3 is attracting both interest and excitement from the
design community in the region. We undertook extensive research and
planning to ensure we create an environment that provides global brands
better access to regional talent and the growing
GCC markets, as well as being a platform to promote emerging talent
internationally. This strategy, coupled with TECOM’s track record in
creating, operating and growing successful, industry-focused free zones
in Dubai puts d3 in a strong position going forward”.
Lindsay Miller, Managing Director of d3 said: “Our main ambition is for d3 to
act as a catalyst for the region’s design community by
creating an environment where local design talent can grow into
successful brands. To achieve this ambition, we have created a master
plan that includes shared workspaces, galleries
and workshops to expose emerging talent to the full value chain so they
may interact, share and engage with key players from the design,
fashion, luxury and art worlds.
“Designers
from this region are making real strides in strengthening their
presence in other markets
and as 90% of countries in the world are just 8 hours flight time from
Dubai, d3 is the perfect place for these discussions and partnerships to
take place.”
Tecom confirmed that
licences have been awarded to businesses that range from regional and
international organisations to local and regionally based small
businesses and freelancers. This strategy is reinforcing
d3’s vision to bring together the established and the emerging design
and creative community as a collaborative eco-system.
To ensure the
development provides the right facilities and infrastructure to both
established international brands and emerging regional designers, d3
‘crowd-sourced’ much of the design for the project and continues
to hold focus groups and feedback sessions in the UAE region and beyond
to ensure the creative community is fully engaged throughout the
development phase. The d3 team have implemented this process to ensure
the creative community has the opportunity to take
ownership of their potential new home and ensure that every aspect of
the site is relevant to their needs.
d3 will help achieve
Dubai’s 2020 Vision of attracting 20 million visitors and AED 300
billion in tourism revenues per year. Once complete, d3 will be a world
class creative community that promotes and nurtures
emerging regional design talent, as well as providing a home to their
global counterparts.
The
first phase of d3, the AED 4 billion development of the ‘core’ of the
15.5 million sq. ft. site, including state of the art offices and
workshop spaces, will be ready for tenants in the
first quarter of 2015. This will be closely followed by the
second phase of the development focussed on the creative community which
will provide a dynamic environment that enhances their wellbeing and
promotes creativity and innovation.
Phase 3, to develop d3’s waterfront area, to include
new concepts in dining, retail and entertainment will provide visitors
with dynamic activities and facilities.
The d3 site, located
just minutes from Dubai Mall, will boast a 2km waterfront - longer than
the length of Jumeirah Beach Walk. This will feature international and
design led hotels, a pop up shop area, and an
event space. The property options on offer will include residential,
commercial, retail and hospitality real estate, and the area will be
characterised by distinct public spaces, unique street furniture, public
art and shaded walkways.
