:: Metecno Group ::

January - February 2007

HOUSE MARKET STILL ON THE INCREASE IN ITALY BUT PRICES HALT

2006 trends in Italian real estate - as reported by Gabetti Property Solution - shows the following scenario: house prices reach a halt but the Italian market continues to grow, the knock-on effect of the boom in metropolitan area peripheries and small municipalities.
The forecast for this year is an increase in property markets, especially in the garage sector and in the hinterlands of major cities.
Source: www.demaniore.com

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January - February 2007

THE MEGA MALLS ARRIVE IN ROME

Rome has given the go-ahead for new shopping malls - food & beverage or otherwise - which in some cases are already taking shape and will occupy a total of 147,367 square metres.
They will be centres for shopping, eating, beauty treatments, sport and cinemas.
The areas of Rome involved are Via Prenestina, Via Cristoforo Colombo and Via Baccini, along with Lunghezza, Bufalotta and Casal del Marmo.
Source: www.demaniore.com

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January - February 2007

EMIRATES - ABU DHABI CHALLENGES DUBAI IN CULTURAL DISTRICT LAUNCH

The grandiose project presented by Abu Dhabi, Arab Emirates - for construction on the island of Saadiyat - is a cultural district designed to host a Guggenheim museum and, probably, a secondary home for the Louvre, Paris.
It will be known as "Guggenheim Abu Dhabi", for construction under the direction of US architect Frank Gehry, who was also responsible for the steel and titanium colossus of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, whereas the Arab Louvre - due to bear the signature of French architect Jean Nouvel - is still in doubt for reasons linked to the Louvre trademark.
It will form part of a luxury tourism complex with completion due by 2018, in competition with Dubai, until now considered the Emirates leader in terms of architecture and tourism.
Also planned are a museum dedicated to the ocean, assigned to celebrated Japanese architect, Tadao Ando: it will include an aquarium and one section totally immersed in the sea, whilst Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid has instead designed the immense theatre centre comprising five theatres and an opera house.
Source: www.demaniore.com

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January - February 2007

TURIN: NEW UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IN THE EX-ITALGAS AREA

The project on which works are due to commence for the new Turin University campus bears the renowned signatures of Maire Engineering and Foster & Partners.
The complex includes the Law and Political Science faculties with departments, lecture halls, learning laboratories, faculty support services and the Interdepartmental Library.
The new campus is part of the urban transformation process which began when Turin won the candidacy for the Olympics, an event which led to the recovery and restructuring of several post-industrial sites.
The former industrial site will be transformed into a new cultural district with parkland, squares and open spaces, and will establish important links with the historic centre and main streets of the city.
The roof will be the distinguishing mark of the complex: its shape, next to the River Po, will render the University Campus recognizable in the Turin panorama even at night, illuminated to emphasize the University's contribution to life in Turin. Inauguration of the new buildings is planned for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Source: www.archiportale.com

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January - February 2007

BANKS FINANCE THE CONSTRUCTION GIANTS

Zunino, Coppola, Statuto, Toti - great names in the property construction sector - which, financed by others such as Intesa-San Paolo, Capitalia, Dexia, Deutsche Bank, Banca Intermobiliare, Eurohypo, are setting up projects that could put a surplus of several million euro into their coffers.
One example is Milan, which through the revitalisation of Milano Santa Giulia, Porta Vittoria, Varesine and Garibaldi-Repubblica, is about to change face.
But most eyes are on the Citylife mega-project, a plan to revitalise areas around the old Expo district and involving the participation of Italian and foreign building giants, e.g.: Generali Properties, RAS, Immobiliare Lombarda, Lamaro Appalti and the Lar Desarrollos Group.
Source: www.demaniore.it

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January - February 2007

NOW TWO ISLANDS IN THE EASTERN EUROPE BUILDING BOOM
Two islands in ambitious Eastern Europe building projects: the first will be "Dream Island", to be located in the heart of Budapest on the Danube. It will have a recreation area, conference centre, spa, beach, theatres, museums and restaurants, for a total cost of 1.46 billion euro.
The second - to be built off the Slovenian coast - will be a holiday destination in the next decade, partly financed by EU Structural Funds.
Confirmation of the dynamics of emerging markets is given by ISI-Euromoney data: 2006 saw a consistent increase in the sector, which in some countries has meant doubling the GDP rate of growth, placing them in pole position in the list of foreign investments. According to experts, this effervescence is destined to continue over the next few years.
Whilst Hungary is the exception in a positive panorama, in Poland the number of constructions has increased by 23% and the sector is in such a ferment that they complain of the need for at least 150,000 workers.
Slovakia and Slovenia both record positive data: +9.1% for the sector in Slovakia, and a 32% increase in the total value of buildings completed in Slovenia.
The greatest successes, however, were recorded in Bulgaria, Rumania and Russia: in Sofia, the building industry has expanded by 17% and foreign investments in the sector have increased by 230%: construction has therefore become the most significant item in the balance sheets of foreign capitals.
Even in nearby Bucharest, the industrial building sector has been particularly lively: by 2010 it is forecast that the surface area occupied by industrial work sheds will have doubled.
In Russia, too, construction was among the kingpins of the economy: +69% in the sector.
Source: www.demaniore.com

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January - February 2007

BERLIN: MASS CONSTRUCTION SITE FOR THE CAPITAL OF THE FUTURE

In Berlin - an immense open-air construction site - there is a true contest between architects and designers from both east and west of the city to construct the skyscrapers that will radically change the city's skyline and urban layout.
In the near future in the western district there will be two enormous buildings - both 120 metres high - in glass and cement: the Atlas Tower and the Zoofenster.
In the eastern section there will be a radical restructuring of Alexanderplatz, with the construction of a dozen skyscrapers, all around 150 metres high.
On the Spree - near the new central station - an exclusive project has been studied to create a modern residential complex: private homes, hotels, restaurants, cafés will be built in Humboldthafen, an area which during the Cold War became a squalid no-man's-land behind the infamous Wall.
A trade centre and offices will be built near the Traenenpalast (The Palace of Tears); a 16,000-seater Arena is expected in the Ostbahnhof area, and in the heart of the city a massive shopping centre is already under construction.
Source: www.demaniore.com

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January - February 2007

INDIA: 25 BILLION DOLLAR TECHNOCITY LAUNCHED

Anantapur, in the state of Andhra Pradesh in the central eastern part of India: an ultramodern complex is to be built here, with a high technological and scientific content.
The cost of the investment is 25 billion dollars, financed over 10 years by a consortium of four companies: Australian Macquarie Bank and Springfield Land, with Singapore companies Juron International Group and Semb Corp Industries.
The entire project will cover an area of around 26,000 square hectares, destined to create a new hi-tech complex with its own infrastructures including highways and telephone networks, hospitals, schools, public parks, hotels and industrial areas. It will provide a platform to 500 companies that can establish their branches in all sectors involved, and will provide jobs to 1.5 million people.
Source: www.demaniore.com

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