The Lofts by Al Barari
From AED 2,800,000 (portal-listed)
Developers / Al Barari
Developer profile · Dubai · community developer
Al Barari: twenty years of planting, and one apartment building nobody has documented
The developer of Dubai’s greenest gated community, founded in 2005 and still run by the family that planted it. Its villas have sold for two decades on the strength of mature landscaping and low density; its newest apartment project, The Lofts, is on the listing portal from AED 2,800,000 with a Q3 2027 handover — and no unit schedule, completion date or price list anywhere on Al Barari’s own website.
TypeCommunity developer · private
Founded2005 · Zaal Mohamed Zaal
Led byHazza Zaal, CEO
Site15.3 M sq ft · 60%+ green
On the portal1 project · AED 2.8M entry
Homes on saleApartments and signature lofts
Nearest roadSheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Rd
Weak pointNo published schedule for The Lofts
About Al Barari
Al Barari is a developer that built a garden first and sold houses inside it. Founded in 2005 by Zaal Mohamed Zaal, it took a plot inland on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and planted it — more than 60% of a 15.3 million sq ft site is greenery, by the developer’s own account, threaded with lakes, water channels and themed gardens. Twenty years later the trees are mature, which is not something a new launch can copy at any price.
It is now run by the second generation. Hazza Zaal, the founder’s son, is chief executive and describes himself as hands-on in master planning, design and brand partnerships; he also founded a separate venture, Elemental Developments. That continuity matters for buyers: the community has one design language and one management regime rather than a patchwork of sub-developers.
The portfolio is mostly villas, and there are a lot of them. Altissima (23 seven-bedroom villas), Ixora (82 four-bedroom homes), Lunaria (40 six-bedroom), Les 8 (8 six-bedroom), Chorisia I (60 five-bedroom) and Chorisia II (57 villas, in construction), The Nest (55 four-bedroom) and The Nest Revolution, plus The Reserve bespoke plots of 31,000–33,500 sq ft and 12 plots at Fountain Drive from 30,000 sq ft. Every count in that list is the developer’s own.
The apartments came later, and they are the scarce part. Ashjar delivered 120 low-rise garden apartments; Seventh Heaven added one- to four-bedroom apartments, penthouses, duplexes and garden homes; The Neighbourhood is a compact studio, one- and two-bedroom concept; The Cape is the next launch, described as a natural extension of Ashjar. The Lofts — the only Al Barari project on the listing portal — is the most recent: apartments and signature lofts in a single building, from AED 2,800,000 for 1,102 sq ft.
The community is the amenity. Inside the gate: Waitrose, BinSina Pharmacy, Med Space medical centre, Kids Spot Nursery, Fin & Bone butchery, a barbershop and a nail salon; The Farm, The Mill, NETTE, Red Tomato Pizza and New Earth Café among the restaurants; The Bay health club with its pools; the Al Barari Playground; 8 Pixels Arcade; jogging and cycling trails through the planting. That list is the reason people pay Al Barari prices, and most of it is already open.
The documentation is the weak point. Al Barari’s site describes The Lofts in a paragraph and links no project page: no unit count, no bedroom range, no completion date, no price. The listing portal carries a Q3 2027 handover, a single 1,102 sq ft one-bedroom at AED 2,800,000 and a 10 / 50 / 40 plan. Third-party agents add “around 70 units” and “1–2 bedrooms”, which the developer has not confirmed. For a project with a 40% handover payment, that gap is the thing to close before reserving.
The plan asks for 40% at the keys. On the entry unit that is AED 1,120,000 due at handover, with nothing deferred afterwards — a mortgage drawn at completion, or cash. Compared with the 10%-at-handover structures common on newer launches, it front-loads the risk onto the buyer at exactly the moment banks revalue the building. Several agents describe the same schedule as “60/40”.
The honest read. The most established green community in Dubai and one of the least documented sales operations. The trees, the retail, the clinic, the nursery and the gate are real and have been for years; the apartment building is new and its schedule lives on a listing portal rather than on the developer’s site. Buy the setting, but buy it with the unit schedule, the loft plans, the service charge and the completion date in the contract.
Al Barari projects on this site
Six addresses inside the gate. One is on the listing portal, two are listed on this site and three have information pages only — because Al Barari has published nothing saleable about them.
The Cape
From AED 3,400,000 · 50 / 50, 5% on booking
Altissima
From AED 40,000,000
Seventh Heaven
No sales particulars published
Ashjar
No sales particulars published
The Neighbourhood
Announced · no price or launch date
The Lofts is the only Al Barari project the portal lists and the only one with a portal price: AED 2,800,000 for a 1,102 sq ft one-bedroom. The Cape — 286 apartments in three buildings, handover Q4 2028 on a 50/50 plan — and Altissima — 23 seven-bedroom villas from AED 40 million — are listed on this site rather than on the portal. Seventh Heaven, Ashjar and The Neighbourhood have no published price list, unit schedule or completion date at all, so their pages set out what the developer says and what it does not. The villa collections — Ixora (82), Lunaria (40), Les 8 (8), Chorisia I (60), Chorisia II (57) and The Nest (55) — and the bespoke plots at The Reserve and Fountain Drive trade through the developer and the resale market. The Al Barari community guide covers the district itself.
What distinguishes Al Barari
Twenty years of planting
More than 60% of a 15.3 million sq ft site is green space, and the trees are mature. That is the one thing about Al Barari a new launch cannot reproduce, and the reason its prices hold.
Villas first, apartments scarce
The portfolio is dominated by villa collections – Altissima, Ixora, Lunaria, Les 8, Chorisia I and II, The Nest – with a small number of apartment buildings. Apartment supply inside the gate is limited by design.
A single gate and a single manager
Retail, dining, wellness, landscaping and community rules are run by the developer’s own organisation. Efficient, and the reason to read the community rules and the service charge before you reserve.
Amenities that already exist
Waitrose, a medical centre, a pharmacy, a nursery, The Bay health club and a dozen restaurants are operating, not promised. Many off-plan districts sell this list as a future.
A documentation gap on the only portal project
The Lofts has no project page on Al Barari’s own site: no unit count, no completion date, no price list. The portal carries one layout and a Q3 2027 handover. Everything else is agent copy.
40% due at handover
The 10/50/40 plan puts AED 1.12 million on the key date for the entry unit, with nothing deferred. Pre-approval now and a valuation at completion decide whether that is comfortable or tight.
Buying an Al Barari home: what to check
When one organisation owns the gate, the landscaping and the sales office, the community documents matter as much as the unit. These are the items to have in writing before you reserve.
The unit schedule: how many homes, which are lofts, and what each type costs.
The loft plans – ceiling heights, mezzanine or not, and whether they are priced differently.
The completion date in the sale and purchase agreement, with a delay clause and compensation.
A dated price list by floor and view, since only one layout is published.
The payment schedule with dates, and the 40% handover figure written into the contract.
Which lender will pre-approve against a 40%-at-handover structure, and on what valuation basis.
The service charge per square foot, and what the community and landscape management costs include.
The community rules and the gatepass regime, including what applies to short lets.
Escrow account, project registration and the current Dubai Land Department permit for the building.
Freehold status and separate title for the specific unit at the DLD.
The opening date for The Bay health club, and which pools and facilities are working today.
Which retail units are open now, which are to let, and what the drive to school and office is at 8am.
Al Barari frequently asked questions
Who is Al Barari?
A Dubai community developer founded in 2005 by Zaal Mohamed Zaal and now led by chief executive Hazza Zaal. It built a 15.3 million sq ft gated community on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road around more than 60% green space, and has sold mostly villas there for twenty years.
What is Al Barari like as a place to live?
Low-density, planted and quiet, with lakes, themed gardens, a retail and dining cluster, a health club, a playground and a nursery inside the gate. It is a driving community: no metro station, and Downtown is 20 to 25 minutes by car.
How many Al Barari projects are on the portal?
One: The Lofts by Al Barari, apartments and signature lofts from AED 2,800,000. The wider portfolio – Seventh Heaven, Ashjar, The Neighbourhood and The Cape among the apartments, and the Altissima, Ixora, Lunaria, Les 8, Chorisia and Nest villa collections – is not listed on the portal.
What does The Lofts cost?
The portal lists one-bedroom apartments from AED 2,800,000 for 1,102 sq ft, which is AED 2,541 per square foot. No other layout carries a published price and the developer has not released a price list.
What is the payment plan?
10% on booking, 50% across nine construction instalments and 40% on handover – AED 280,000, then about AED 155,556 nine times, then AED 1,120,000 at the keys on the entry unit. The 4% DLD fee is AED 112,000 on top.
When is handover for The Lofts?
Q3 2027 according to the listing portal. Al Barari publishes no completion date for the project, so the portal is the only dated source – and only the date in the sale and purchase agreement binds.
Does Al Barari have a school?
No school inside the community. Kids Spot Nursery is on site and Dunecrest American School sits just outside; wider choices are a drive to Arabian Ranches, Motor City or Al Barsha.
Is there a metro station near Al Barari?
No. Al Barari is inland on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road with no metro station inside or adjacent; the nearest Red Line stations are a 15- to 20-minute drive and there is no dedicated bus route through the community.
Are Al Barari homes freehold?
Al Barari’s homes are sold as freehold. Confirm separate title for the specific unit at the Dubai Land Department before reserving, as you would anywhere in Dubai.
Is Al Barari a good place to buy?
For a buyer who values green space, privacy and low density over a skyline address, it is one of the most established options in Dubai – the community is built and mature. The caution is documentation: the only project on the portal has no developer-published unit schedule or completion date, and its plan asks for 40% at handover. We will not quote a yield we cannot source.
How do I buy through you?
Tell us the project and budget. We will get the unit schedule and a dated price list, establish the completion status and the contract date, confirm the service charge and community rules, check escrow, permit and title, and give you our honest read – including the case against.
Considering an Al Barari home?
Tell us the project and budget. We will get the unit schedule and a dated price list, establish the completion status and the contract date, confirm the service charge and the community rules, check escrow, permit and title, and give you our honest read — including the case against.
Sources and verification. The founding date and founder, the current chief executive, the green-space figures, the villa and apartment collections with their unit counts, the retail, dining and wellness inventory and the description of The Lofts come from Al Barari’s own website. The Lofts’ starting price, published layout, payment plan, handover quarter, amenity tags and overview come from the listing portal’s project record. Committed to publication: Al Barari publishes no dedicated page for The Lofts, so the unit count, bedroom range and completion date exist only on the portal and in third-party agent copy; the portal shows a single layout, a 1,102 sq ft one-bedroom from AED 2,800,000; the portal’s overview refers to “access to an 18-hole championship golf course”, which is not a facility Al Barari lists, and describes The Bay as a “crystal lagoon” where the developer describes a health club opening soon. Third-party figures such as “around 70 units” are labelled as unconfirmed. Nothing on this page is a valuation or a promise of return.