Doha, 14th February 2011. Top executives of Barwa Real Estate and senior representatives of partner organizations attended a ceremony to celebrate the official opening of Barwa Village on 14 February. It was attended by a number of prominent figures. 

Barwa Village, now a thriving new community located between the Doha International Airport and Wakra,  is a good example of Barwa's role contributing to the national economy and the community through creative residential and commercial solutions that meet the housing and commercial needs of the country.  It exemplifies Barwa's support for Qatar's 2030 vision for human, social, economic and environmental progress and sustainable growth. 

Barwa Village was built to the most exacting standards, providing a new community for residents in Doha and a new centre for retail shops. 18 residential clusters built on a 193,300 sq m site provide residents with a wide range of apartment lifestyle options just 10 kilometers away from the city.  The spacious 400,000 sq m plot on which Barwa Village was built accommodates over 1500 people with multi-use facilities and commercial units and can welcome over 13,000 visitors.

Ibrahim Fakhro, Director of Barwa Investments - Qatar, said: "Barwa Village supports the vision of Barwa and its commitment to be a major partner in the urban renaissance of Qatar. The Village successfully balances the needs of tenants and residents with the commercial ambitions of retailers in the community."

Barwa Village's design integrates amenities to encourage social interaction and a healthy lifestyle among the tenants. The QR 1.6 billion Barwa development contains 458 residential units, a 1200 sq m health club with a 300 sq m swimming pool, a 6000 sq m international school for 900 students, a 270 sq m two-floor nursery, ample parking, green spaces, parks, playground, a neighbourhood center, a mosque accommodating 800 worshippers, a medical clinic, a 4000 sq m shopping plaza and several restaurants.

More than 30% of Barwa Village is green space, designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The project does not allow high-rise buildings, thereby reducing traffic congestion. The maximum height is restricted to 3 floors for residential and civil buildings with only the shopping mall one storey higher.

Mr. Khaled Al Hitmi, General Manager for Barwa Village, commented: "Barwa Village provides all of the day to day needs and amenities for the neighborhood and exemplifies an exciting new approach to environmental real estate development for the community. We are reaching full capacity for apartments and have leased the majority of the commercial properties.  The attraction of Barwa Village is not only the quality of the properties, but also the constant availability of maintenance and repair and other onsite support for our tenants."

Barwa Village's design makes it a leading architectural project for Qatar. By using the latest construction techniques and focusing on secure, safer and stronger buildings, while reflecting the local heritage of Qatar, Barwa has succeeded in promoting modern and comfortable lifestyles with green spaces and modern facilities in its latest successfully completed development.

Barwa Village joins the spectrum of Barwa Real Estate developments from upmarket developments at Barwa Al Sadd and Barwa Financial District to affordable housing projects atMasaken Mesaimeer and Masaken Al Sailiya, and from the major commercial project at Barwa Commercial Avenue to the landmark residential scheme at Barwa City. 

Future Barwa developments will include Baraha Motor City which will focus on the needs of Doha's motorists and a major tourism resort, Salwa Bay Resort, currently being planned on the south-western coast of Qatar.  

-Ends-

About BARWA Village:
Built on a spacious plot of almost 400,000 square meters, Barwa Village provides residents with a wide range of apartment lifestyle options. It contains 18 residential blocks with more than 450 residential units, a clubhouse, a swimming pool, an international standard school, neighborhood park, public plazas, a playground, mosques and a health clinic. That is beside a shopping plaza with over 900 retail shops which will provide all the shops and restaurants that residents can desire.

About BARWA Group:
Barwa is one of Qatar's leading real estate and investment companies with a vision to support the sustainable growth of Qatar and build its future by investing in businesses, services and expertise both locally and internationally.

Barwa strives to provide quality large-scale developments to customers in a timely and cost-effective manner and to deliver sustainable high returns to shareholders. Continuously, Barwa seeks to implement best business practices, while empowering its valued employees. In doing so, Barwa is recognized as a reliable global Qatari company, renowned for its leadership in investment, real estate development and related services.

The company has grown rapidly since it was established in 2005 to include 21 businesses in five business segments: local real estate; international real estate; infrastructure investment; business services; and financial services and investments. Supporting these units is a group of business services such as project and programme management, facilities management, training and research. Under the company's umbrella are some of Qatar's pre-eminent projects including Barwa Financial District, Barwa Village, Masaken Mesaimeer and Al Sailiya, Barwa Commercial Avenue and Barwa City, as well as major international investments such as Barwa New Cairo in Egypt, the Ottoman Project in Turkey and the Astrakhan Project in Russia.

Barwa is listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange, with a market capitalization of over QR 11 billion and employs some 600 people, almost half of whom are Qataris. While the company's main activities are in Qatar, it also has extended its operations and interests overseas with projects and investments in 13 other countries.

For further information, kindly contact:
Kamal Nasrallah Mobile: +974 66562779
Email: k.nasrallah@asdaa.com

© Press Release 2011