By Eddy Nemri, Vice President at Object 1

Dubai closed the first half of 2026 with roughly AED 420 billion in real estate transactions across more than 112,000 deals, a pace that puts the year on track to beat 2025’s record. Heading into 2026, the consensus among analysts and developers was that this momentum would deepen rather than plateau. Six months on, the numbers back that up, and in several areas the market has moved faster than most predictions anticipated. Here’s how each widely-forecast trend is actually playing out.

Abu Dhabi’s Breakout Is Confirmed, Not Just Forecast
 Abu Dhabi was widely tipped as the next investor hot spot. It has arrived ahead of schedule: property sales reached AED 84.5 billion in H1 2026, up 174% year-on-year and putting the emirate on course for a record year. Al Reem Island led on sales volume, Hudayriyat Island led on value, and together with Yas Island and Saadiyat Island the four districts accounted for roughly two-thirds of both deals and value in the emirate. Off-plan sales dominated activity, and repeat sales prices climbed double digits for both apartments and villas — evidence that this is broad-based demand, not a single-project spike.

Tokenization Has Moved From Pilot to Live Market
 Of everything flagged industry-wide at the start of the year, this trend has advanced the furthest. What was a concept in most outlooks is now operational infrastructure: the Dubai Land Department’s tokenization pilot closed out its first phase in February 2026 and opened a regulated secondary market for the tokens issued during it. VARA has since published formal guidance clarifying how tokenized property is regulated as a security at the federal level — the framework younger, cost-conscious buyers need to trust the model is now in place, not just promised. The long-range projection stands: tokenized assets could represent close to 7% of Dubai’s real estate transactions by 2033.

Hybrid Living Keeps Reshaping What Buildings Need to Offer
 The shift toward co-working lounges, private meeting pods and serious digital infrastructure inside residential buildings has held steady through the first half of the year. Hybrid work remains structurally embedded in the UAE’s working patterns, and mixed-use communities built around the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan’s people-centric principles continue to outperform standard apartment stock on occupancy.

Smart Technology Is No Longer a Differentiator — It’s the Baseline
 This trend has accelerated faster than the “becoming standard” framing most predictions used at the end of 2025. Automated systems, data-driven design and energy optimization are now table stakes in new launches rather than a selling point layered on top. The projects gaining the most attention in 2026 are the ones pairing that technical intelligence with genuinely human-centred design, not the ones leading with specs alone.

Connectivity Is Already Repricing Neighbourhoods

The Dubai Metro Blue Line has gone from groundbreaking to visible construction: tunnelling is underway, excavation milestones have been hit ahead of pace, and the RTA has the line on track for roughly 30% completion by the end of 2026, with opening set for September 2029. The RTA’s own modelling points to property values near stations rising by up to 25%, and early anticipation is already visible along parts of the corridor, well before a single station opens.

Wellness Remains a Non-Negotiable, Not a Trend
 Buyer priorities haven’t shifted here — clean air, natural light, communal space and access to active living are still deciding factors, and biophilic design continues to move from amenity to expectation across new developments.

Regulation Has Tightened Exactly as Predicted
 Oversight has strengthened on schedule. At the federal level, the Securities and Commodities Authority was reconstituted as the Capital Markets Authority on 1 January 2026 under new decree-laws, adding a clearer national layer to how capital markets — including tokenized real estate — are supervised. Dubai’s RERA and Abu Dhabi’s regulatory bodies have continued tightening escrow, disclosure and developer-accountability standards alongside it, reinforcing the market’s stability story for global investors.

Where This Leaves the Rest of 2026
 Halfway through the year, the story isn’t “will these trends materialize” — it’s how quickly they have. The developers who benefit most through year-end will be the ones who’ve already built for this market rather than the one the industry was forecasting for twelve months ago.

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EYWA by R.Evolution and Friendly Early Childhood Center have launched Longevity Starts From Childhood, a new Dubai initiative exploring how the foundations of lifelong health and wellbeing can be shaped from the earliest years.

The partnership brings together EYWA, an ultra-luxury residential ecosystem built around longevity and wellbeing, and Friendly Early Childhood Center, one of Dubai’s most premium and innovation-led early childhood centres. Together, the partners will develop children’s spaces, educational experiences and a programme for families focused on the relationship between childhood development and the environments in which children live, learn and grow.

The collaboration is closely aligned with the UAE’s growing focus on family wellbeing and early childhood development. The Year of the Family 2026 places the family at the centre of building strong future generations, while the Dubai Quality of Life Strategy 2033 identifies children among its priority groups and brings together initiatives across health, education, society and family.

Longevity starts earlier than we think

“Longevity is often discussed as something we begin thinking about as adults. But the science tells us that some of the most important foundations are established much earlier,” said Irina Baikova, Co-Founder, Friendly Nursery Early Childhood Center. “According to the World Health Organization, around 80% of a child’s brain is formed by the age of three, while every USD 1 invested in early childhood development interventions can generate returns of up to USD 13. The early years are an extraordinary window of opportunity. Our partnership with EYWA is about connecting what happens in early childhood education with the environment a child returns to every day: the home.”

Bringing the philosophy into the home

Under the partnership, Friendly Early Childhood Center will become EYWA’s early childhood development partner for the creation and curation of Kids Clubs at both EYWA Tree of Life and EYWA Way of Water in Business Bay.

The partners will explore how factors including air and water quality, natural light, acoustics, hygiene, movement, learning and healthy routines can be incorporated into spaces created specifically for children.

Rather than approaching a Kids Club simply as another residential amenity, EYWA and Friendly Early Childhood Center will consider how the space itself can support the way children play, learn, socialise and develop.

For Alex  Zagrebelny, Founder and CEO of Eywa by R.Evolution, the idea also has a personal origin.

“EYWA began with a question: can the place where we spend most of our lives actually help us live better? For me, that question became very personal. After introducing at home several of the environmental principles that we have incorporated into EYWA, I saw noticeable changes in my own child’s focus, concentration and memory. This is my experience as a father, not a medical claim, but it completely changed the way I looked at homes,” said Alex.  “A home is not just where a child grows up. It is one of the earliest environments shaping their habits and behavior.  If we are serious about longevity, we have to start thinking about that much earlier.”

From partnership to family programme

The initiative will move into a series of activations from September through November 2026, with EYWA and Friendly Early Childhood Center planning events and experiences for both parents and children.

The programme will explore in an accessible and practical way how health and the surrounding environment interact with childhood development and education — from sleep, air, water, light and movement to the role of the home itself.

The first activations will begin in September, followed by a joint event at Friendly Early Childhood Center in October and further parent-and-child experiences in November. Families will also have the opportunity to visit EYWA Tree of Life and experience how longevity and wellbeing principles are translated into a residential environment.

The partnership forms part of R.Evolution and EYWA’s broader work in longevity and wellbeing, extending the conversation beyond adult wellness to the environments and habits that shape health, development and quality of life from childhood.

Through Longevity Starts From Childhood, EYWA and Friendly Early Childhood Center aim to translate these principles into everyday life — connecting the places where children learn with the places where they live.

According to a recent skills report, 59% of quantity surveying and construction professionals identified advanced digital tools as the most important skill for the future.

Construction has always relied on practical experience: understanding how projects are delivered, spotting risks early and knowing when something on site is not right. These skills remain essential, but as digital tools become more embedded across the industry, the way construction teams work is changing.

As a digital platform working with construction teams around the world, PlanRadar has identified six skills that are becoming increasingly important on the modern jobsite, helping professionals work more efficiently and adapt as construction becomes more digital.

1. Creating clear digital project records

Good documentation is more than taking a photo or writing a quick note. Site information should clearly show what happened, where it happened, who is responsible and what action is needed. This makes it easier for contractors to respond and for reviewers to confirm that work has been completed correctly.

A 2023 case study found that introducing structured digital quality-control documentation reduced supervisors’ documentation workload by 80–90%. Standardised data entry also improved the accuracy and usability of inspection records. Clear, organised information also provides a stronger foundation for future automation and AI.

2. Coordinating digital workflows

Construction professionals increasingly need to understand how information moves through a project, not just how to use individual tools. An inspection, Request for Information (RFI) or approval should have a clear path, showing who starts it, what information is needed, who reviews it and when it must be escalated.

This matters because delays in these workflows can have a real impact. A PlanRadar study of 1,728 construction professionals found that one in four respondents said delayed approvals typically add more than a month to project timelines. Clear digital workflows help teams keep responsibilities visible, reduce missed actions and move decisions forward faster.

3. Working confidently with digital drawings and BIM

Construction professionals do not need to be BIM specialists, but they should be able to navigate digital drawings, understand revisions and connect site issues to the correct location. This is becoming increasingly important in the UAE as Dubai continues to digitise building processes.

Through its BIM platform, Dubai Municipality allows consultants to upload IFC models and automatically check them against Dubai BIM Standards and selected building regulations.

As these processes become more sophisticated, these skills will become more important on site. Professionals who can confidently use digital models will be better placed to connect design information with actual site conditions.

4. Capturing useful visual evidence

Visual documentation is becoming a more important part of how construction teams track progress, and communicate site conditions. Professionals need to know what should be captured, when it should be recorded and how images can support later decisions.

A UAE case study at Expo City Dubai saw a contractor use 360-degree reality capture across 28 buildings, creating around 180 captures of the project. The visual record helped teams monitor progress, identify issues and improve reporting. Used effectively, visual evidence gives teams a clearer record of site conditions and makes progress easier to review without relying solely on repeated physical inspections.

5. Building practical data literacy

Construction teams generate large amounts of information daily. The skill is knowing how to read that information and identify what actually needs attention.

Professionals should be able to spot recurring quality issues, overdue actions, approval delays and differences in performance across teams or locations. They also need to understand when a number is useful and when it needs more context.

This does not mean every project manager needs to become a data specialist. It means being able to ask the right questions, check the information behind a result and use project data to support better decisions.

6. Using AI with professional judgement

A 2025 RICS survey of more than 2,200 construction professionals found that 46% identified a lack of skilled personnel as one of the main barriers to AI adoption. As AI becomes more common in construction, professionals will therefore need more than basic awareness of the technology.

They should understand where AI can support routine work, how to question its output and when professional verification is required. AI can organise information, identify patterns and summarise records, but decisions involving safety, contracts or technical responsibility still require human judgement.

Digital skills are becoming part of everyday construction, but the pace of technological change means professionals cannot be expected to master every new tool. What the industry needs instead are curious, adaptable people who are willing to keep learning, question how technology is used and apply it in ways that improve project delivery.