Expo City Dubai has formally launched the residential projects it has planned at the Dubai Expo site.

Within the Expo site, there is Expo Central, which is made up of three clusters of buildings known as the Mangrove Residences, Sidra Residences and Sky Residences. There is also a community of villas known as Expo Valley.

“The residential component is important for Expo City,” said Ahmed al-Khatib, chief development and delivery officer of Expo City Dubai, in an interview with MEED at the project's launch.

“Today, we are launching the Mangrove Residences. The residences consist of 450 units of one bedroom, two bedrooms and three bedrooms and lofts that were designed with careful attention to sustainability.”

Located where the Kuwait pavilion was situated during the Expo, the Mangrove Residences are close to several key attractions at the Expo site.

“They [the Mangrove Residences] are about 60 metres away from the Surreal water feature, about 40 metres away from the Jubilee Garden, and overlooking the Sustainability Pavilion,” said Al-Khatib.

The building is also rated LEED Gold for sustainability and environmental performance.

The project is due to be completed in January 2026 and construction work has begun.

“We have started site clearance and are out to market for the foundation works,” said Al-Khatib.

“The main contractor we plan to tender towards the end of August.”

The other residential development is Expo Valley, located on a plot adjacent to the Expo site. It comprises 532 villas, townhouses and semi-detached properties that will be built on a rolling landscape to give villas an unblocked view of the sunset in the west.

“For the construction, we have started site clearance. The main contractor will be appointed around the same time as the Mangrove. The good news is that we have the infrastructure in place,” said Al-Khatib. “This helps us to focus more on the actual product.”

Apartment buildings will be built at Expo Valley as part of a later phase.

MEED reported in February that the architect working on Expo Central is Singapore's DP Architects. The architect for Expo Valley is U+A.