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| ICD-Brookfield Place tower in Dubai. Source: ICD-Brookfield |
ICD-Brookfield has had to ride Dubai’s economic roller-coaster since opening the largest standalone office tower in the city last September when the worst of the coronavirus outbreak appeared over.
More than half a year and another spike in infections later, regular office life remains a way off. Even without the pandemic casting a shadow over commercial real estate, the $1.5 billion high-rise arrived at a time when about a quarter of all offices stood vacant despite rental prices dropping by over 35% in the past six years.
After initially halting lease negotiations, many multinationals are now coming back and looking to conclude deals, according to Rob Devereux, chief executive officer of ICD-Brookfield.
Seven firms finalized contracts in the first quarter of this year, following agreements with 11 companies including UBS Group AG in the previous three months. Julius Baer, Natixis and EY signed before the tower opened. The building’s occupancy rate is approaching 55% in terms of signed leases, Devereux said.
For Devereux, who leads a venture equally owned by Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and Dubai’s sovereign wealth fund, the outlook is upbeat as firms look to rebuild their work culture, with the vaccination rates suggesting the city could be near herd immunity. Companies in Dubai will likely start bringing workers back to offices en masse in the second half of this year, Devereux said.
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