Dubai has ordered a new fleet of floating homes to join the emirate’s already extravagant array of unique architecture.

The emirate’s latest ambitious undertaking is the new Marasi Business Bay development. Located within 550 metres of Downtown Dubai, the area is intended to be Dubai’s next iconic destination, with direct connectivity to the city’s main transport arteries – Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road. The state-of-the-art floating buildings that will form part of the development, though, are not being constructed in the UAE: they’re being shipped over from Finland.

Dubai Properties has awarded Finland’s ADMARES the first phase of the project, which will boast 10 water homes, two restaurants with direct water views and an exclusive yacht club. ADMARES will build all of them in its purpose-built facility in its home country, with a workforce that specialises in floating real estate. Once complete in Q3 2017, the floating structures will then do what they do best: float their way across the globe, until they sail into their new home.

Dubai Properties has praised ADMARES for its work on the “first-of-their-kind homes”, using innovative marine and construction technology, which the developer believes will make the finished product some of the “most sought after” homes in the city.

ADMARES is certainly no stranger to the challenges involved: the company built the Burj Al Arab Terrace, showcasing the possibility of constructing real estate over water in locations where there is a short supply of land.

“We started at the top with our first project in the Emirates, working with Jumeirah and Dubai Holding for the Burj Al Arab Terrace,” says ADMARES CEO Mikael Hedber. “Having successfully delivered the new resort extension – the biggest-ever undertaking of its kind in the world – we now have another project where the client was looking to create a landmark development with a high degree of innovation and quality.”

The entire Marasi Business Bay area, meanwhile, is no slouch in its own right: it will include the longest waterfront promenade in the Emirates and the UAE’s first-ever homes on water with pedestrian and boat access. The palm tree-lined yacht marinas will host approximately 700 berths, alongside floating retail and F&B outlets, an assortment of onshore boutique shopping, leisure and entertainment facilities, plus a range of local and international businesses.

Within the bay, each water home will enjoy exclusive boat access and views of the surrounding Dubai Water Canal. In case the fact that they float wasn’t impressive enough.

Photo: Dubai Properties