Saadiyat Island

Early History

Saadiyat is an island located in the middle of the Khaleej water, approximately  one kilometer from Abu Dhabi with an area of 8kms. The original inhabitants had fishing as the back bone of their life and the way of survival before being transformed to one of the biggest farms that covers Abu Dhabi’s needs of fruit, vegetables and fish. 30 years ago, the island had an Arid Land Research Center which was chosen to supervised all of the agriculture projects and the University of Arizona US have made a complete project plan for the center to produce fruit and vegetables in air-conditioned greenhouses which are not affected by either the weather or the season.

Developments

Saadiyat now is one of the biggest development projects holding an estimated budget of Dhs 100bn, which will transform the island from old to more modern in 2006. The island development is handled by Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) which is bringing mixed commercial, residential and leisure to the heart of Saadiyat island which is expected to become Abu Dhabi’s Culture Center. The island will have seven districts which are Saadiyats Marina, Culture, Beach, Promenade, Lagoons, Retreat and Reserves District. The Marina District will cover an area of 3.7 Km2 which will berth over a 1,000 boats and has some residential projects such as hotels and luxury apartments. Culture Distict will hold some famous names like The Guggenheim and Louvre Museums as well as Performance Art Center. Promenade District is the residential project in Saadiyat Island which has a total Area of 931,000 m2 which will also include family resorts, leisure and entertainment as well as restaurants and cafes. Lagoon Districtwill cover an area of 3.5 km2 which will have a Tidal Lagoon System as well as low-rise water residence. Retreat District will cover an area of 750,000m2 of hotels and residents and the Reserves District will cover an area of 4.68 km2 of natural protection sanctuary where development will not affect the island’s natural plants such as mangrove; it will hold the first ever championship tidal golf course as well. 

Present development

There is some development in the island which is nothing compared with when the project will finish; some hotels  have finished and are operational such as Park Hyatt and St. Regis hotel. The Monte-Carlo Beach Club is operational which is at the moment in boost with business which covers relaxation, absolute tranquility, leisure for both kids and adults as well as holding some of the big events. The project itself is not completed yet a lot of locals and foreigners go there to have a blast, not forgetting the surrounding area such as Yas Island has an effect on people to go to Saaydiyat island. The project will have residences which will have 600,000 in population as well as malls and universities. New York University Abu Dhabi Camps is located on the island and it is being contracted. The island will have a lot of overseas visitors since the Louvre Museum will be on the island and the Louvre in France is famous for the  Mona Lisa  which in 2010 was insured for approximately of US $72M. The island will be fully operational in the year 2020 according to Abu Dhabi’s 2020 vision.

Total of 539 Words

Bibliography

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