Azizi advances housing programme for 31,000 UAE workers

Azizi Developments has begun preliminary work on workforce accommodation projects in Dubai and Sharjah designed to house more than 31,000 people, with phased completion scheduled through late 2027.

The developer’s largest planned community, at Al Sajaa in Sharjah, will accommodate more than 20,000 residents across 36 residential buildings. Site preparation is expected to start later this month, while enabling and shoring works are already under way at accommodation sites in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Industrial 1 district.

The programme combines residential buildings with healthcare, vocational training, dining and recreational facilities. Azizi says the developments are intended to improve living conditions for construction and manufacturing personnel while reducing the time workers spend travelling between accommodation and workplaces.

The Sharjah master plan includes four neighbourhood hubs, five medical clinics, a pharmacy and a central supermarket. An 18,945-square-foot Training and Community Centre will have capacity for more than 400 people attending technical instruction, occupational safety courses and other programmes.

Landscaped outdoor courtyards are also planned, alongside dedicated transport infrastructure with parking bays for 155 buses. Azizi says the facilities will be supported by its existing corporate fleet of more than 500 passenger buses, although it has not specified how many vehicles will serve the new community each day.

In Dubai, the company is developing purpose-built accommodation centres in Jebel Ali Industrial 1 covering more than 137,000 square metres. Together, these facilities are designed to accommodate more than 9,700 workers, according to the developer’s announced plans.

The Jebel Ali centres will provide catered meals and kitchens where residents can prepare their own food. Indoor gymnasiums, medical clinics and recreational lounges are also included, extending the programme beyond conventional dormitory-style accommodation.

Azizi has not disclosed the investment required for the developments or provided separate handover dates for individual buildings. Its stated timetable envisages deliveries in stages through the end of 2027, rather than simultaneous completion of the accommodation across both emirates.

Farhad Azizi, group chief executive of Azizi Group, said the initiative reflected the importance of workers to the company’s construction operations. “The frontline teams and skilled workforce on our construction sites are the foundation of everything we build,” he said.

“Ensuring their welfare means creating living spaces where they feel supported, respected, and healthy,” he added. The executive said the inclusion of medical services, training facilities and recreational amenities was intended to improve standards within the company’s workforce communities.

A distinguishing feature of the Al Sajaa project is its proximity to Azizi’s manufacturing operations. The residential development is planned beside more than one million square feet of company-owned production facilities, allowing some personnel to live closer to the industrial sites where they work.

Those facilities include operating factories producing aluminium components, joinery, modular ductwork, marble products, bathroom pods and glass-reinforced concrete. Additional plants for precast concrete are planned, expanding the manufacturing activities associated with the Sharjah location.

The developer expects the arrangement to reduce lengthy journeys across emirate boundaries, particularly for workers whose shifts begin early or finish late. Shorter commutes could also allow more time for rest, although the company has not published measured travel-time savings or independent assessments of the expected benefits.

The residential plans form part of Azizi’s stated approach to workforce welfare and environmental, social and governance commitments. Their effectiveness will depend on operational details, including occupancy levels, access to medical services, maintenance and the delivery of facilities promised in the master plans.

The announced accommodation capacity is a target for completed developments, not a count of workers already housed. Construction progress currently differs between the locations: preliminary ground-related works have started in Jebel Ali, while the larger Sharjah site remains scheduled for preparation later in October.

Azizi has also not identified a main contractor for the Sharjah accommodation or announced the value of construction packages. The company’s published description concentrates on the proposed residential capacity, supporting facilities and overall delivery period.

The company has not published a detailed breakdown of planned room sizes, the number of occupants per room or the arrangements for managing individual facilities. Those details will be relevant when the accommodation moves from construction into day-to-day operation.

The Al Sajaa scheme’s transport layout provides separate movement areas for buses and residents, while its neighbourhood hubs are intended to distribute everyday services across the 36-building development rather than concentrating them in a single location.