Emaar founder Mohamed Alabbar has unveiled a teaser for a new "Dubai Mall Plaza and Hotel" project, posting a short video captioned "Coming Soon" on his verified social media account. The announcement came hours after he spoke at the Rise conference in Dubai.
At the conference, Alabbar said Emaar already has "a unique building that's fully designed and ready," describing it as potentially "one of the most beautiful buildings in the world." He added that launching the tender for the project depends on improvements in regional logistics and port operations, including a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Asked about the prospect of construction without human labour, Alabbar said Chinese technology is currently the closest to achieving that goal, pointing to a 15-storey building in Abu Dhabi completed in just 12 days with notably better energy efficiency and earthquake resistance. Still, he voiced scepticism about fully AI-driven construction replacing human oversight entirely.
It remains unclear whether the Dubai Mall Plaza and Hotel project is the same structure Alabbar referenced during his conference remarks or a separate development. The Dubai Mall is among the world's most visited shopping and tourism destinations, and any expansion there is likely to reshape the skyline around Downtown Dubai further.
Emaar has delivered several major towers and tourism complexes across Dubai in recent years, and the new teaser signals continued ambition for large-scale development at the heart of the city. No construction timeline or investment figure has been disclosed so far, and Emaar has not issued an official statement beyond Alabbar's social media post and conference comments.