Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

Dubai has announced plans for a AED2bn ($545m) therapeutic wellness resort and leisure park project called Therme Dubai, which will be developed in Zabeel Park in collaboration with Austria-based Therme Group, a specialist developer of spa, sauna and indoor water park complexes.

Standing 100 metres tall and spanning 46,450 square metres, the project is set to be the largest facility of its kind globally. It will feature numerous pools, baths and other therapeutic amenities, as well as water park elements, an indoor botanical garden, art installations and a Michelin-starred restaurant.

The project will be funded by a consortium of local and international partners. With its integration of wellness, healthcare and recreational facilities, it is being positioned to strengthen Dubai’s medical tourism sector. It has an estimated completion date of 2028.

The project has been designed with sustainable engineering principles in mind by US-based architectural firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, known for The Shed project in New York. It will recycle 90% of its bath water, and meet 80% of its cooling needs through clean energy sources.

Therme Bucharest – another project by the developer – is the world’s first LEED Platinum-certified wellbeing infrastructure.

The Therme Dubai project was presented by Mattar Al-Tayer, director general of Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority and chairman of the Supreme Urban Planning Committee, at an event attended by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.

READ THE FEBRUARY MEED BUSINESS REVIEW

Trump unleashes tech opportunities; Doha achieves diplomatic prowess and economic resilience; GCC water developers eye uptick in award activity in 2025.

Published on 1 February 2025 and distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the February MEED Business Review includes: