- Zaheer Uddin Babar clinches top prize in individual category
- Three landscaped gardens, balconies each picked for prizes
Dubai, UAE - A passion for gardening was the clinching factor for winners of Emaar's Best Garden competition. The real estate major presented cash vouchers to the ten winners on Wednesday - all residents at Emaar's community projects in Dubai.
The fortnight-long competition was held in four categories: Best Landscaped Garden, Best Balcony, Best Small Garden and Best Individual Effort. Residents had to send in photographs of their gardens with a registration form. Landscaping and gardening professionals from Dubai Garden Center, Oleander and Emaar judged the winners.
Mr Paul Declercq, a resident of Saheel at Arabian Ranches won the first prize for best landscaped garden. Mr Peter Bruce and Mr Farhad Kheirabadi took home the second and third prices, respectively.
Mr Ahmed Al Qubaisi clinched the Best Small Garden prize and Mrs Nandini Ravindra and Mr Mehri Artang won the second and third prizes. The Best Balcony/Terrace winner is Mr Shahzad Ahmed, a resident of The Greens. The Meadows 5 resident Mr Zaheed Uddin Babar was honoured with the first prize for Best Individual Effort while Mr Francis Gambin was adjudged runner-up.
The prizes and cash vouchers were handed out by Tarek Al Ghaith of the Dubai Garden Centre and Jeevan J D'Mello, Senior Manager - Community Management of Emaar Properties. Winners were presented with cash vouchers of AED 3,000, 1,500 and 500, respectively, to the first, second and third prize winners at a ceremony held at the Barooda Lounge of Polo and Equestrian Centre, Arabian Ranches. All vouchers were sponsored by Dubai Garden Center, a one-stop facility for all gardening needs.
A special award was given to Ms Rubina Ali for the best Do-It-Yourself Garden.
"The Best Garden competition announced end-May was one of the many community-centric initiatives by Emaar," said Ahmad Al Falasi, Director of Property Management, Emaar Properties. "With its green walkways and parks, Emaar's community projects already have a high degree of landscaping aesthetics. But the Best Garden competition walked the extra mile in encouraging residents to further beautify their living environment."
All entries were scrutinized for design aesthetics, quality of maintenance, innovation and creative brilliance. "All the entries were of high standards and what made the difference, ultimately, was the passion each winner had for the gardens they conceptualized and maintain. Many of them spend long hours to tend and nurture the gardens," added Velimir Ljubibratic, Senior Landscape Manager at Emaar.
The competition, which will now be an annual affair, is expected to encourage more residents to beautify their gardens - a delightful hobby that is a reward in itself.
-Ends-
About Emaar Properties PJSC
Emaar Properties, the Dubai-based Public Joint Stock Company and one of the world's largest real estate companies, is listed on the Dubai Financial Market and is part of the Dow Jones Arabia Titans Index. The company recently announced that its net profits for the first quarter ended 31 March 2006 reached AED 1.517 billion (US$413.1 million) - a significant rise on the AED 1.325 billion (US$361.0 million) for the equivalent period from the prior year. Emaar's net profits for the year ended 31 December, 2005 climbed 180 per cent, to a record AED 4.731 billion (US$1.288 billion). The figures represent a substantial increase on the AED 1.691 billion (US$460 million) for the year 2004, and reflect the significant growth the company has undergone since its inception in 1997.
With more than 14,000 homes handed over to satisfied customers, Emaar has several major real estate projects under various stages of development in Dubai including Arabian Ranches, Dubai Marina, Emirates Hills, The Views, The Meadows, The Springs, The Lakes and The Greens. The company also owns and manages the Gold and Diamond Park.
Emaar has started construction on its most ambitious project to date, the AED 73 billion (US$20 billion) Burj Dubai Downtown development, which comprises the Burj Dubai - the tallest tower in the world when completed in 2008, The Dubai Mall, Burj Dubai Business Hub, The Lofts, The Old Town, The Old Town Island, Burj Dubai Boulevard, The Residences, Burj Views, man-made lakes, landscaped parks and gardens.
The company has joint ventures and projects across the region covering India, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. Major international projects include: Cairo Heights and Smart Village, both in Egypt; Boulder Hills, a world-class leisure and residential community in Hyderabad, India; multiple resort projects in Morocco, including Amelkis II & III and Bahia Bay, luxury residential golfing communities; Eighth Gate project in Damascus, the city's first master planned community; and Lakeside in Istanbul, a landmark development for Turkey's cultural and commercial hub. In Saudi Arabia, Emaar is embarking on the creation of the AED 98 billion (US$26.6 billion) King Abdullah Economic City, a mixed use development covering 55 million square metres of greenfield land with a 35 km shoreline close to the port city of Jeddah.
Last year the property developer announced plans to aggressively expand the retail sector with investments of over AED 15 billion (US$4 billion) to develop approximately 150 malls in the larger emerging markets of the Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and the Indian subcontinent.
While continuing to actively pursue expansion in its core business of innovative, high quality real estate development, Emaar has diversified into related business lines to further build value for its 59,000 shareholders, which includes the Government of Dubai. Emaar owns and manages EMRILL, a joint venture with the UK-based Carillion which provides innovative property and facilities management services. Emaar also holds 30 per cent equity in Dubai Bank, focused on retail and commercial banking and is the majority shareholder in Amlak Finance, UAE's leading Islamic home financing company. For further information, please visit www.emaar.com.
For further information, please contact:
Kelly Home
Nivine William
ASDA'A Public Relations
Exclusive Affiliate of Edelman PR Worldwide in Middle East & North Africa
Tel: (+971 4) 335 5969
Fax: (+971 4) 335 6080
E-mail: k.home@asdaa.com
E-mail: n.william@asdaa.com
© Press Release 2006
