Abu Dhabi’s Yas Creative Hub nears completion; First unit to open by end of 2021

By Arya M Nair, Official Reporter
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Yas Creative Hub image
Representational image

Yas Creative Hub, Abu Dhabi’s home for the media, gaming, and entertainment industry is 95 percent completed, as announced by twofour54 Abu Dhabi, a media free zone.

The first units of the 270,000 square meter sustainable development will be ready to hand over to tenants by the end of this year. It will be home to a diverse group of multinational companies, local and independent businesses and freelance professionals. 

The primary purpose to build Yas Creative Hub is to address the future demands of Abu Dhabi’s growing creative industry, with the number of jobs predicted to triple to 16,000 by 2031. It is one of the assets being developed under Abu Dhabi’s $8.2 billion investment strategy for the Culture and Creative Industries (CCI).

Twofour54 has released the first official images of the campus as construction on the project nears completion after more than 15 million man-hours without a Lost Time Incident (LTI). It also revealed continued high demand for units, with 93 percent of Gross leasable area (GLA) already leased, and strong interest in the final units on the market from local and regional media and gaming companies.

Michael Garin
Michael Garin
CEO
twofour54 Abu Dhabi

“Media, entertainment and gaming are growing at an exponential rate globally and in Abu Dhabi, and Yas Creative Hub has been designed with the future of these sectors foremost in mind. It offers industry-leading production facilities, next-generation connectivity, digital technologies and flexible workspaces for firms of all sizes, from start-ups to international powerhouses. We are looking forward to welcoming them all to one of the most advanced content creation hubs in the world.”

More than 270 SMEs and startups, which are the powerhouse of the media and gaming sectors and the drivers of innovation, are among the 600+ firms set to make Yas Creative Hub their home. Mobile gaming developer Boss Bunny, music publishing company PopArabia, critical issues firm Brunswick Group, the Eton Institute training and development center, production company Bidaya Media, communications firm Edelman, the Korean Cultural Centre, and dmg events, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT), are among the most recent organizations to confirm their move to Yas.

They will join household names such as Ubisoft, Vice, Ericsson, Unity Technologies and CNN on campus, as well as new partners including Abu Dhabi’s state broadcaster, which is relocating its headquarters to Yas Creative Hub in a momentous move for the media and entertainment industry.

Yas Creative Hub, designed by MZ Architects, is a fully walkable, landscaped campus that includes parks, cafes and restaurants, wellness facilities, an outdoor amphitheater, rooftop terraces, and direct pedestrian access to Miral’s iconic Yas Bay Waterfront and Etihad Arena.

There will be more than 5,500 square meters of production and post-production facilities, as well as an AD Gaming Hub with the Unity Center of Excellence, which will enable on-the-ground support and mentorship to the region’s game development sector. Unity Technologies, the world’s leading platform for developing and operating interactive, real-time 3D (RT3D) content, has signed a 10-year partnership with the center for a year.

The Yas Creative Hub will have six purpose-built studio facilities with cutting-edge technology to enable world-class broadcast, including the region’s first glass-walled studio with a stunning view of Yas Bay Waterfront.

Related: DCT Abu Dhabi launches Creative Media Authority to unify country’s creative sector

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