Developer Nakheel said on Wednesday it has begun work on a new 55-storey residential tower, 16-screen cinema complex, multi-storey car park and retail expansion at Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai.
Nakheel said in a statement that has awarded a contract o Dubai-based National Gulf Constructions for enabling works at the site, located on the southern side of the mall, adjacent to The Gardens community.
The new AED850 million ($231 million) residential, retail and entertainment development includes a 55-floor residential tower – Ibn Battuta Residences 2 – with 279 apartments, pool deck, landscaped grounds, retail space and multi-storey car park.
There is also a 16-screen dine-in cinema complex, with its own multi-storey car park with almost 1,400 spaces, directly linked to the mall and a retail expansion with 53,000 sq ft of shop space and more than 600 new parking spaces.
With 279 high quality apartments, the tower will complement Ibn Battuta Residences, Nakheel’s 48-floor twin-building apartment complex, announced last year. The three towers have 810 apartments between them.
A health and wellness centre – featuring swimming pools for adults and children, fitness club and café – will occupy the top-level of a four-storey parking podium housing 515 spaces.
Nakheel added that the complex will also have a 32,000 sq ft landscaped park with a 200 metre jogging track, children’s play area and shaded seating.
The new projects are part of Nakheel’s phased expansion at Ibn Battuta Mall that is transforming the area into a sprawling retail, residential and leisure hub.
Phase one, comprising a 300,000 sq ft retail extension, a 210 metre link to the Dubai Metro and a 372 room hotel, opened last year. Subsequent phases include a one million sq ft mall featuring a retractable roof for year-round shopping and dining, and a second hotel.
