The role of the real estate developer has evolved beyond simply building homes, according to industry experts and exhibitors at Cityscape 2019, which runs until Saturday 30 March at the Egypt International Exhibition Centre (EIEC). As the eighth edition of the country's largest exhibition and conference on property development readies to enter its final day of a four-day run with hundreds of innovative new launches on display aimed at capturing the attention of discerning buyers and investors, one leading Egyptian exhibitor said modern property development goes beyond simply building accommodation. SAK Developments, which has been developing real estate for more than 35 years, is exhibiting phase two of its Sueño development, an integrated community in the R7 district of New Capital, at Cityscape Egypt, says it has a "duty as a developer to make living easy for the modern family". "Our aim is to make housing possible for young people, we are trying our best to make life easy for the modern family, with practical spaces, not wasting space. We tried to do that starting with our designs," said Ahmed Kadri, CEO and Partner, SAK Developments. Sueño, is a 500-home ‘smart' community designed around retail and leisure facilities, public spaces and amenities. "We are trying to make living easy, so you can reach everything, and you don't have to leave the community for anything, from printing a paper at the business centre, to the library, a spa, shops, bike and running tracks, parks. I think that's what counts now," explained Kadri, adding "people don't want big spaces now." Kadri believes integrated communities promote sustainable living, while smart communities such as Sueño take modern living to the next level. The developer added: "We are trying to make smart communities, starting from our security gates to the parks etc. You can even monitor your children in the day care centres from your TV, tablet or mobile phone. We have signed a deal with a company for a smart app that takes care of facilities management. We have solar power and a water system to reuse water for the gardens." Kadri's sentiments were echoed by regional sector giant Al Futtaim Real-estate which is exhibiting 3 new projects for Cairo Festival City which is a breakthrough in real estate projects. It is the first project of its kind in Egypt comprising administrative, residential and entertainment projects in one community. In addition, there is the largest shopping mall Cairo Festival City Mall surrounded by residential complexes, high-level management offices and an international school. Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Real Estate Co. Ashraf Ezz El-Din said: "We are participating this year in Cityscape Egypt with our latest three projects; Oriana IV, Aura Apartments and The Podium Offices in a bid to reflect our vision of an inclusive real estate community, which we seek to develop in line with the needs of the Egyptian market. This spurs us to inject more investments on the back of the great efforts exerted by the government to improve the economic situation". Cityscape Egypt closes its four day run on Saturday 30 March. The show is open from12pm to 10pm. For more information, visit www.cityscapeegypt.com.
