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Royal Atlantis Resort and Residences

 

A New Architectural Wonder Following in the Footsteps of the Marina Bay Sands

 

An artificial archipelago in the UAE, the Palm Jumeirah is considered the world’s finest resort development. On its outer edge is the most valued plot of land commanding a magnificent ocean view. Here, a one-of-a-kind building resembling a gigantic block is gradually emerging. In this scorching desert land, where temperatures approach 50 degrees Celsius, the solemn noise of construction equipment sounds like a prelude to the birth of an architectural landmark.

 

“Constructing a landmark building is something we are proud of. However, creating an architectural marvel ahead of our time comes with enormous pressure and responsibility,” Site Manager Seung Pyo Han says. Han is a veteran site manager who has spent over 30 years with Ssangyong E&C, working on numerous major overseas projects. Yet, he wore no smile while on site. Despite his title as Managing Director, he is always tanned as he is always busy walking around the site under the scorching sun.

 

Ssangyong E&C’s Royal Atlantis Resort and Residences (hereinafter “Royal Atlantis”) construction project involves the construction of one 43-story deluxe hotel and one luxury residence building in the northern part of the Palm Jumeirah. The site area is 175,089 m², and the total floor area is 365,000 m². Notably, the premises will feature more than 170 swimming pools of varying sizes.

 

◇ Splendid Exterior Born from Impeccable Execution of Complex Technology

Ssangyong E&C has built a more renowned reputation in the international community than within Korea. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel (completed in 2010), the greatest tourist attraction in Singapore, is Ssangyong E&C’s creation. Its unique design, which resembles a giant ship suspended by three massive towers, immediately made the building a global landmark.

 

Now with the Royal Atlantis project, Ssangyong E&C has been assigned a mission to build yet another global landmark in Dubai. Flush with oil money, countries in the Middle East are quietly engaged in a fierce construction battle to demonstrate national prowess.

 

In 2015, Ssangyong E&C formed a joint venture (50:50 ownership) with Belgium-based BESIX Group and won this contract (worth USD 840 million). Although BESIX has developed a global reputation as the builder of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower, Ssangyong E&C is responsible for most of the actual construction thanks to its technical expertise and proven track record of building landmarks such as the Marina Bay Sands. By the early 2000s, the company had already established a strong reputation by building the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel and Grand Hyatt Dubai Hotel, two of the three major hotels in Dubai at the time.

 

The overall appearance of Royal Atlantis resembles the shape of an S lying sideways. Floors either jut out or cave in, as if they were stacked Lego pieces, thereby giving the project a three-dimensional feel. The hotel and the residence building will be linked by a skybridge, with a large rooftop swimming pool on top. Construction began in 2016 and is over 50 percent completed (as of late June 2019). The framing work is almost finished and will be followed by the interior and exterior works. The project is slated to be completed in late June 2020. The residences are already on presale, with prices ranging from USD 1 million to 10 million.

 

Site Manager Han recalls the installation of the skybridge between the hotel and the residence building as the most memorable challenge. The skybridge idea came from the design of the Marina Bay Sands. The main bridge, which weighs a whopping 1,500 tons, had to be lifted 50 meters from the ground for installation. “When the bridge was lifted, the allowable difference between the highest and lowest points was only 25 millimeters, an extremely meticulous and demanding requirement,” Han said. “We picked a windless day and spent eight hours installing the bridge between the two buildings.”

 

This large construction project involves more than 10,000 workers with a variety of nationalities and native languages, including Arabic, Korean, English, German and Dutch. However, the site has maintained a perfect safety record without any accidents or complaints since construction began three years ago, thereby achieving an impressive 32 million accident-free man hours in late May. “Since we employ a large number of construction workers, we need to think about a variety of issues, such as safety, rest and manpower configuration,” Han said. “We conduct regular meetings with our workers for better communication while trying to prevent problems beforehand and remedy our shortcomings.”

 

◇ High-end Construction Expertise and ICD’s Support Lead to Strong Presence in Dubai

Since the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) became the company’s largest shareholder in 2015, Ssangyong E&C has gradually reemerged as a strong player in the global construction market. The winning of the Royal Atlantis contract is also thought to have been aided by ICD’s influence. One of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, ICD acquired Ssangyong E&C because the former highly valued the latter’s high-end construction knowhow. Particularly well-received was the company’s experience of constructing major high-rise buildings in Dubai (e.g. Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel and Grand Hyatt Dubai Hotel) as well as the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. High-end construction expertise and ICD’s extensive attention and support facilitated Ssangyong E&C’s re-entry into the Dubai market in 2015, thirteen years after its original entry.

 

Sang Yeop Lee, Head of Ssangyong E&C’s Dubai Office, said that Ssangyong E&C’s high-end construction capability has been well recognized in Dubai, thanks to the company’s architectural creations built across the city over the years. Appointed in 2017 as the branch manager, Lee is a construction expert who participated in the Grand Hyatt Dubai project. “The Grand Hyatt is still considered one of the most luxurious hotels in Dubai,” Lee said. “The hotel is more than ten years old, but still looks brand new, requiring only partial remodeling.”

 

Along with its Singapore counterpart, the Dubai Office is Ssangyong E&C’s strategic base for overseas operations. With some 50 employees, this branch manages seven local projects, including the Royal Atlantis construction project. The company is planning to use the Dubai Office as a stronghold that can facilitate its entry into advanced construction markets. “Since our re-entry into the Dubai market, we have learned a great deal through trial and error. We are also constantly expanding our infrastructure by adding more manpower, material and equipment,” Lee said. “We are actively working to win construction bids while focusing on improved profitability.”