Arada has launched Nest, which is billed as the UAE’s premiere integrated student accommodation complex.

The development is in the Aljada mega-project and near Sharjah’s University City.

Spread over a 35,000sqm on the University City side of Aljada, Nest features ten five-storey buildings. The developer says the structures have been designed with internal courtyards and spaces that provide meeting spaces for residents.

Each block is said to contain studios and two-, four-, five- and eight-bed dormitories, along with laundry rooms, shared TV rooms and study areas. Different parts of the community have been allocated to accommodation for men and women, ensuring comfort and privacy for every tenant, the developer said in its statement.

The complex is said to feature several facilities and amenities including an art studio, a music hall, a library, a running track that surrounds the complex, an amphitheatre and a central dining hall. The developer says tenants will be provided with access to male- and female-only swimming pools, gyms and study areas. Arada notes that the facilities are set in a smart technology-enabled space that ‘sets a new standard for student housing in the region’.

“The UAE has made education one of its highest priorities and a key platform for the development of the country. We are proud to support this critical industry through Nest, a state-of-the-art home for the region’s future leaders. At Nest, we are dedicated to providing facilities and a living experience for our students that is unmatched anywhere in the Middle East and where security and safety are top of mind. Student accommodation is still a relatively new investment segment here in the Gulf and we’re happy to offer this opportunity in Sharjah for the first time. We believe student housing is an excellent and hassle-free way to diversify your real estate portfolio, and we hope that the stable and steady guaranteed returns on offer at Nest will be of significant interest to local and international investors,” said HE Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, chairman of Arada.

Arada says Nest allows individual real estate investors to purchase directly in the student housing segment in the Gulf for the first time. The developer says this is an area that has seen major interest in traditional markets such as the United States and Europe.

Additionally, the developer says it has committed to providing Nest residents with part-time employment opportunities at local retail and food and beverage outlets, both in the complex and in Aljada as a whole.