At Cityscape, technology takes centerstage

Ritika Sharma / Emirates Business

You can visit your dream home virtually before you decide to settle upon one. If you are a developer you can opt to create your own city on a software and check the permitted Lane space in advance.
This is not a scene out of a sci-fi movie. This and more comes alive in the grand real estate event Cityscape happening in Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) in Emirates Capital.
This year the exhibition has a lot of technological elements. On one hand if Aldar is offering a virtual reality experience to its potential customers, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) is showcasing Urban Street and Utility Design Tool, a free web-based application for street
design.
Abdulla Al Sahi, Executive Director, Planning and Infrastructure Sector, UPC, told Emirates Business, “It is good to be launching such an advanced technology in the tenth anniversary of Cityscape Abu Dhabi. I am confident of its impact on the design of our (Abu Dhabi) streets.”
The Tool is a free web-based application developed by the UPC that allows both experts and non-technical users to quickly design streets and utility corridors.
“The first edition of the Tool was launched in 2012, since then it is around 70,000 people who are working with this tool. So we decided to update it after we got hugely positive feedback on it. We have actually made it friendlier.”
Taking help of technology, this time, the exhibitors are visibly experimenting with their pavilions. One of the most engaging stalls in the exhibition is that of Aldar Properties.
Fahed Al Ketbi, Chief Operational Officer of Aldar told Emirates Business that the main aim remains to make visitors feel a connect with the property they intend to buy beforehand.
“We have put a lot of thought into designing the pavilion in a 3D manner. We wanted to stand out this time and the number of people who have visited us shows that we have been successful. The aim was to make people comfortable and give them a first-hand experience of the property they are planning to buy,” Al Ketbi said.
The pavilion is turned into a virtual villa where you can experience being inside a living room and listen to birds chirping in a backyard
garden.
Given the increased number of visitor participation due to the creative technological approaches, organisers are positive about record property deals this year.
Talking to Emirates Business about the same, Carlo Schembri, Exhibition Manager of Cityscape Abu Dhabi at Informa Exhibitions, the organisers of Cityscape Abu Dhabi, said, “All indications are pointing towards an incredibly busy, profitable show this year. Aided by technology, which is still a new element in real estate market, we’re expecting a significant number of transactions to take place on the show floor.”