bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Bloomberg

Dubai is adding a new round of ostentatious mansions and penthouses – some fitted with cinemas, spas and private lifts – as developers in the United Arab Emirates city court multimillionaires from around the world.
These ultra-luxury homes are being priced anywhere from US$60 million to more than US$120 million as house-hunters from Europe, Asia and the Americas swoop in.
The trappings are increasingly extravagant, even by the standards of an emirate renowned for its love of glitz.
One builder transported a giant glass wall thousands of kilometres to give the owner his chosen sea view.
Another designed a private lobby and lift for the buyer of a penthouse so big that it straddles two towers.
Yet another created a movable floor for a client’s swimming pool that rises to meld with the garden tiles during parties.

Prices across Dubai’s booming property market are moderating after surging since 2021. But that is not stopping builders from adding palatial new homes along the city’s priciest beachfront locations.
“The upper end of the market is the most profitable,” said Mark Phoenix, chief executive officer of Sankari Properties, whose company is building a US$1 billion ultra-luxury tower. “If done properly, a developer can sell for the maximum sort of prices.”
Dubai’s market is bucking a global trend as prime residential prices slow or drop in many other international markets.
In 2024, 435 homes valued at more than US$10 million each were sold in Dubai, reaching a record and surpassing New York and Hong Kong, according to Knight Frank.
The property adviser estimates that ultra-luxury prices will jump at least another 5 per cent this year in the emirate after surging about 67 per cent since 2021.

Wealthy families shopping globally for second and third homes can still find more space for the same buck in Dubai. On a per-square-foot basis, prices in the emirate are a third of New York’s and a fifth of London’s, according to Mahdi Amjad, founder of Omniyat, a developer of ultra-luxury flats.
“We benchmark our buildings against buildings in New York and we find that for similar ticket prices, or maybe lower ticket prices, you get by far more space and by far more experiences and amenities,” said Amjad, who expects to add another 100 ultra-luxury homes this year.
Dubai’s builders are often forced to go to extraordinary lengths to compete with international cities.
On a recent visit to a construction site, a giant glass dome could be seen being built in the centre of a mansion. It was meant to cover a pool and spa and could be retracted when the owners wanted to sun themselves.
Elsewhere, there are winding pools to allow residents to swim from the bar to the spa at the other end of the garden.
Most of our clients have multiple homes in cities across the world and they’re very specific about what they like and what they expect
Wissam Damaa, founder, Palace Group
Dubai’s artificial man-made islands are favoured locations. The mansions on Dubai’s seahorse-shaped island, known as Billionaire Island, usually come with private beaches and rotating tables for parking that automatically turn cars in the right direction.
Wealth advisory firm Henley & Partners estimated that 6,700 millionaires would come to the United Arab Emirates in 2024, surpassing all other countries.
But catering to the whims of the global rich is not cheap – or easy.
Adding extravagant amenities means “it costs you a lot more to build with upfront costs for design. That’s where a lot of developers get scared,” Phoenix said.

Wissam Damaa, founder of property developer Palace Group, had a buyer who wanted an entire wall of his sprawling living room made with a single pane of glass. At 17 metres by 4 metres (56 feet by 13 feet), it was the size of some swimming pools.
Damaa was not sure he could find an individual pane that size, let alone install it. And the buyer wanted the glass wall to disappear completely at the click of a button for an open sea view.
When Damaa contacted one of the largest glass manufacturers in Germany, the company took 45 days to decide if it could meet the specifications. It ultimately agreed, but only if another Swiss firm could assemble the mechanical system to move the glass wall.
That required an underground room to be built for the giant pane to descend into when it was lowered. Then, special permissions were needed to transport it by ship and truck because of its size. The client ultimately got the look he wanted.
“Most of our clients have multiple homes in cities across the world and they’re very specific about what they like and what they expect,” Damaa said.
He has 15 new mansions under construction along with a 70-apartment building with combined values of 16 billion dirhams (US$4.4 billion), he said.

Despite the continued rush to build, brokers and developers say that some of the exuberance of recent years is moderating. Price increases are slowing and some builders are finding it harder to buy prime locations on which to build.
Honey Deylami, an executive partner at Dubai Sotheby’s International Realty, said wealthy buyers are pushing back on price hikes after years of increases, but demand is still outstripping supply for now.
“The market is still short of supply of ultra-high-end that is ready to move into,” said Deylami, who sold around 2.7 billion dirhams’ worth of properties in 2024.
“There is a lot of supply in the pipeline or under construction, but that’ll require three to four years before it hits the market.”


Rediscovering Macau: a timeless love affair with a city of hidden charms

Milan as it hosts the Winter Olympics: where to eat, shop, hang out and be pampered

Hotel Central reopens and brings old Macau back to life

A Wong Kar-wai film set? No, it’s an old Shanghai-style family home in Jing-An

Architecture and design

Crazy new Dubai mega mansions cater to their super-rich owners’ wild requests

A mansion in Dubai. Priced anywhere from US$60 million to more than US$120 million, a new round of mansions and penthouses is being built in Dubai to attract the mega-wealthy around the world. Photo: Palace Group

An artist’s impression of the US$1 billion ultra-luxury tower that Sankari Properties is building in Dubai. Photo: Instagram/sankari.official

A waterside mansion in Dubai with a view of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, in the distance. Photo: Palace Group

A new mansion in Dubai. Photo: Palace Group

An artist’s impression of The Lana Residences – Dorchester Collection in Dubai, an ultra-luxury project designed by architects Foster + Partners for developer Omniyat. Photo: Instagram/omniyatofficial

Trees star at these stunning homes and buildings as architects, designers go bark-ing mad

A Chinese banyan (Ficus microcarpa) tree is situated in an infinity pool in this rendering of a home in New Delhi, India, designed by 
New York-based firm ODA Architecture. Photo: AP

A five-storey-high indoor forest at Singapore’s Jewel Changi Airport encircles an indoor waterfall. Photo: AP

Stefano Boeri’s Bosco Verticale in Milan houses roughly 800 trees. Photo: AFP

The Tree House in Southern California designed by KAA Design Group embraces the property’s existing cork oaks. Photo: AP

The Tree House’s second-floor cantilevered platform was built around the gnarled branches of one of the property’s existing oaks. Photo: AP

A private courtyard at The Tree House contains a soaking tub made of Japanese wood, a reflecting pool and small trees. Photo: AP

Phuket Old Town mansion transformed into luxury destination celebrating island’s heritage

A former Sino-Portuguese heritage building, House of Tin Baron in Phuket, Thailand, has been redesigned and repurposed to serve locals and tourists alike. Photo: House of Tin Baron

The Louis Roederer Cristal Room at House of Tin Baron. Photo: House of Tin Baron

Langoustine in shellfish emulsion at Terra, an Italian restaurant at House of Tin Baron. Photo: House of Tin Baron

Deepak Ohri is project manager for House of Tin Baron and CEO of Luxury Atelier Maison Happiness. Photo: House of Tin Baron

Art deco style is back, from interior design and furniture to fashion, with modern twists

igi Hadid wears a creation as part of the Chanel autumn/winter 2024-2025 ready-to-wear collection. Photo: AP

Zendaya is one of many celebrities embracing bobs and finger waves, channelling the allure of the art deco era in fresh ways. Photo: Reuters

The “Deco Martini” print by design house Divine Savages is infused with cheeky nods to art deco’s architectural drama. Photo: Divine Savages

A 1920s dress made of black silk chiffon with brocaded gold geometric motifs and red silk crepe on show at the Museum of the City of New York. Photo: AP

Opened in 1930, the Chrysler Building (left) in New York is considered by many as an art deco masterpiece. Photo: Shutterstock

A postcard from the “Art Deco City: New York Postcards from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection” exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York. Photo: Instagram/museumofcityny

The F11 Photographic Museum in Happy Valley, Hong Kong, evokes the art deco style. Photo: David Wong

The Le Tuco armchair from retailer Crate & Barrel’s new collection in collaboration with designer Athena Calderone, which was inspired by art deco. Photo: AP 

Gigi Hadid walks the runway as part of Chanel’s autumn/winter 2024-25 ready-to-wear collection, which gave many nods to art deco style. Photo: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP

A model walks the runway during Giorgio Armani’s art-deco-inspired womenswear autumn/winter 2024-25 collection show at Milan Fashion Week 2024-25. Photo: AFP

Black silk satin and gold-tone leather evening shoes made by Delman Black in 1936 are on show at the Museum of the City of New York. Photo: AP

The art deco style is evident in New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Photo: Shutterstock

Furnishings from retailer Crate & Barrel’s new collection in collaboration with designer Athena Calderone are inspired by art deco. Photo: AP

A postcard on show at the Museum of the City of New York. Photo: Instagram/@museumofcityny

A postcard from the 1930s called “An Eating Place of International Fame” on show at the Museum of the City of New York. Photo: AP

Year of the Snake 2025 predictions for 12 zodiac signs. How is your health, luck, wealth?

Feng shui master Tong Pik-ha predicts the varying fortunes of people born under the 12 Chinese zodiac signs in the coming Year of the Snake. Illustrations: Victor Sanjinez

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

Interiors & Living

Dubai developers are going to extraordinary lengths so that their luxury homes can compete with those in cities like New York and Hong Kong


Dubai developers are going to extraordinary lengths so that their luxury homes can compete with those in cities like New York and Hong Kong.


Crazy new Dubai mega mansions cater to their super-rich owners’ wild requests

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Dubai developers are going to extraordinary lengths so that their luxury homes can compete with those in cities like New York and Hong Kong

Dubai developers are going to extraordinary lengths so that their luxury homes can compete with those in cities like New York and Hong Kong