ISLAMABAD: Diyàr Homes, the luxury development arm of leading international real estate company CPIC Global, has appointed world leading design practice WATG as the master planners for their first ever resort community for Overseas Pakistanis. Further to the Diyàr Homes/CPIC Global announcement last week of the 27 Million square feet mega land acquisition in Islamabad for Pakistan’s first ever resort community for Overseas Pakistanis, the company has appointed the lead master plan consultant to bring this monumental development to life. Founded in 1945 in Hawaii and celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2020, WATG is regarded as the worlds’ best destination design firm and has completed projects in over 160 countries around the world. Notable projects by WATG include Atlantis The Palm Dubai, Nobu Hotel Los Cabos, Bellagio Shanghai, Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, St. Regis Astana and Zorlu Center in Istanbul. Commenting on the appointment a Diyàr representative said, “Our vision is to develop the best real estate community in the history of Pakistan and to deliver on this we are scouring the world to find the world’s greatest experts. As Isaac Newton famously said, if I have seen further it has been by standing on the shoulders of giants, keeping in line with this ethos we are engaging with expert consultants from across the globe to bring together this grand vision”. “Whether it be master planners from Hawaii or landscape designers from the English countryside we will find the world’s best and capitalise on their expertise to create a destination that will not only be Pakistan’s best but amongst the best in the world. We are not looking at this from local market standards, rather we are looking at this on a global level,” an official handout said. Lead designer for the project and Associate Vice President of WATG Richard Collings said: “I have visited the site in Islamabad and the land is incredible. The natural topography is second to none and is ideal for the resort style destination Diyar Homes are looking to create. It is an idyllic hillside setting within easy reach of the heart of the capital. My team and I are honoured and greatly looking forward to bringing this first of its kind concept to life.” Commenting on the brief from Diyar Homes, Richard said: “As architects we thrive on creativity to create spaces that push the boundaries and the team at Diyàr Homes said from the outset that this project is not about maximising the sell-able square footage. The two key elements of their brief were that we need to work with the natural topography of the land to retain its intrinsic beauty and to create a pioneering development for Pakistan. Our goal is to keep a minimum of 70% of the area for open spaces and amenities in line with the standards of the world’s best resorts.” In concluding remarks a Diyàr representative said, “We are extremely pleased with the appointment of WATG, to bring a company of this stature to Pakistan is an honour. We are still in talks with a number of consultants for different aspects of this ground breaking development and will make further appointments very soon.”