Real estate will be very strong and is the right sector for investments in the region for the next five to 10 years, according to Ahmed Alhatti, president and chairman of the board of Saudi-based Cayan Group. "This is especially so because we expect major events like World Cup in Doha and 2020 EXPO in Dubai," he told Arab News in an exclusive interview during the launch of the world’s tallest twisted tower in Dubai.

The AED 1 billion Cayan Tower, the flagship project of Cayan Group in Dubai, designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM), the architectural firm behind Burj Khalifa, has been attracting a number of visitors from different countries.

"Our success on different projects and demand in the market motivate us to expand to other countries. Currently we are working on different projects in the region, which will be announced soon," Alhatti added.

"Different mixed-use development will be announced soon in Riyadh. Saudi market is stable politically and economically. Hence, expatriates and nationals are investing in the ever growing real estate sector," he added.

The 307-meter Cayan Tower, previously known as the Infinity Tower, contains 495 apartments within a towering helical form that rotates 90 degrees from base to top. The unusual form of the building presented various challenges for its designers and developers.

The 75-story tower provides residents with stunning panoramic views of the Palm Dubai and the Marina. Each floor of the tower is rotated by 1.2 degrees to achieve the full 90° spiral, creating the shape of a helix and the tower has seven high-speed lifts (8 meter per second)

"The demand is high and we have already sold 80 percent of the residential units in the tower," Alhatti added.

While asked about the motivation for such a building, he said: "In a city like Dubai with sophisticated world-class developments, Cayan wanted to develop a project to stay within this space, and to provide a remarkable lifestyle development that match with the Dubai skyline."

"The tower has been built according to the highest international standards for towers and that won it several international awards. The tower has received Best Architecture award in London’s International Property Awards as well as four Arab real estate awards in Dubai," he added.

When asked about his company, Alhatti added that it has been active in the Dubai real estate market since 2004. Its projects, estimated to be worth around SR 10 billion, cover a wide spectrum from exclusive residential property to commercial space.

"In the past we have completed different residential and commercial projects; La Residencia Del Mar, The Jewels, Dorrabay, Cayan Business Center, and Silverene Towers are some of our well known projects," he added.

"Our main strategy is to provide the uniqueness and service that every buyer looks for. Our mission is to identify, develop, deliver and manage world-class real estate projects," said Alhatti who has over 20 years of experience in investment and financial services and eight years in development and real estate, handling some top projects in Dubai, Riyadh and Egypt.

"Cayan started as an investment idea; personally I was interested to make a real estate investment product and this idea grew potentially. I was interested to get myself a property in Dubai and from there I got more into it, liked it and pursued it more until I reached where I am today" he said.

"The achievements made through the last 10 years in Cayan makes me more passionate to create further challenging landmark opportunities in the region," he added.