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Crystal Lagoons to showcase over US$1 billion of Egyptian projects at Cityscape Egypt

 
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15 Sep 2015

Crystal Lagoons to showcase over US$1 billion of Egyptian projects at Cityscape Egypt

Crystal Lagoons Corp., the patented technology developer of giant crystalline lagoons, will be exhibiting for the first time at Cityscape Egypt with an update on its growing portfolio of Egypt projects and newly strengthened regional team.

Carlos Salas has been appointed Regional Director Middle East, with a remit to oversea the company’s strategic growth, with a total of 10 active, under-development and pipeline projects spread across five key locations.

Based in Dubai, Salas brings with him extensive regional experience, having spent the last six years as head of the Embassy of Chile in the UAE’s economic department and GCC commercial representative for ProChile.

“Carlos has a thorough understanding of the Middle East business environment as well as an extensive network of governmental and commercial contacts, which places him – and Crystal Lagoons – in prime position to take our existing projects forward and capitalise on new opportunities in the region,” said Uri Man, CEO, Crystal Lagoons.

Crystal Lagoons has a total of four active projects in Egypt, including the 12.2 hectare CityStars Sharm El Sheikh lagoon, the regional flagship for the company. The US$500 million development will feature 30,000 residential units, hotels, golf courses, marinas, a museum and a shopping mall.

Building on the success of its first Middle East – and Egypt – project, the company is now developing a second lagoon for Sharm el Sheikh. The 2.7-hectare Radamis Lagoon will be the glittering turquoise centerpiece for a 2,500-room, three-hotel mixed-use development.

Newly added to the portfolio for 2015, Crystal Lagoons is working with Hassan Allam Properties (hap) on a trio of crystal lagoons for its high-end Swanlake North Coast community. The US$200 million development encompasses luxurious residential villas, twin villas, chalets and a boutique hotel with the lagoons the main leisure focus, and interwoven amongst the residential elements.

“With a choice of three lagoons ranging in size from 1.64 to 2.67 hectares, this is a fantastic opportunity for us to work hand-in-hand with the architect and developer of Swanlake to create a sustainable leisure experience that is the perfect vehicle for our technological innovation, but that also showcases the future of mega lagoon-based communities and the value-add that they bring to residents and visitors,” said Carlos Salas, Middle East Regional Director, Crystal Lagoons.

The fourth and final project under development in Egypt is also located on Egypt’s northern coast. Developed by real estate company Porto Group, the US$345 million, 150-hectare mixed-use Porto Golf Marina will offer a 2.4-hectare crystalline lagoon to complement an exciting collection of restaurants and 19 residential buildings with a total of 2,126 apartments (Porto Lagoons). For golf enthusiasts, the renowned American golf course architect, Raymond Hearn, has developed the only 18-hole golf course on Egypt’s northern coast.
The only global company with the technological capability to make the development of giant controlled manmade bodies of water economically viable, Crystal Lagoons is positioning itself as offering a unique product differentiator to high profile tourism projects around the world.

Its patented technology makes it possible for people to enjoy an authentic beach experience in previously unimaginable locations, such as the desert or in the centre of major cities, with the potential to add economic value to new tourism destinations.

Designed to be self-cleaning, the lagoons use up to 100 times less chemicals than traditional systems, and only two per cent of the energy required by conventional filtering technologies, making them incredibly sustainable.

The company already holds two Guinness World Records’ titles with successful locations at San Alfonso del Mar, Chile and Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, which is currently the world’s largest lagoon at 12.2 hectares. Its global portfolio of 300 projects located in 60 countries now includes a total of eight operational or under development sites in the Middle East, including Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE.



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