Alabbar plans $5bn Bangkok mixed-use project with super-tall tower

Bangkok, Thailand - Mohamed Alabbar, founder of Emaar Properties and Eagle Hills, has outlined a proposed mixed-use development in Bangkok with an initial investment of about $5 billion (about THB 160 billion to THB 170 billion), and said it could include the world's tallest building.

The Emirati businessman, best known for his role in the Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall, set out the plan on a recent trip to Thailand. He also spoke to Thai media about his views on the country's economy and property market.

In an interview with THE STANDARD WEALTH, Alabbar said his company had spent four years looking at opportunities in Bangkok and around 18 months negotiating the current deal. He said he hoped to reach a final agreement in the next one to two weeks.

Eagle Hills would lead the investment at the start. Emaar could come in at a later stage to develop the retail and hotel elements.

The scheme would sit on around 20 to 30 rai (32,000 to 48,000 square metres) of leased land in the Thai capital, combining homes, shops, offices and hotels. Its location has not been disclosed. THE STANDARD WEALTH reported that it would be a greenfield project, built new rather than through the purchase of an existing business.

Alabbar put the whole development at three to five years. Detailed design and permits would take up the first year, with building work expected to start roughly 18 months into the programme.

A tower would be the centrepiece of the project. Alabbar said he was interested in an exceptionally tall building and would welcome the chance to build the world's tallest, if regulations and government approvals allowed it.

He added that the architecture should also reflect Thai identity, and that Thai architects were expected to take a leading role in the design.

Thailand would be the first Southeast Asian market for Eagle Hills, which develops mixed-use and waterfront regeneration projects in 17 to 20 countries, according to THE STANDARD WEALTH. Indonesia is being considered as the company's next market in the region.

The Bangkok plan follows talks Alabbar held in 2024 with the Thai government of then Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin about investing in the country. He also raised interest at that time in bringing alternative construction technology for super-tall buildings to Thailand, including methods that would cut reliance on conventional concrete.

In October, he set out plans for up to $17 billion of investment in Syria.

On the economy, Alabbar said the company invests for the long term and does not base decisions on short-term conditions. His projects usually span 10 to 15 years, he said, so future growth counts for more than temporary swings.

Thailand's economy and property sector have been dealing with slower growth and weaker market conditions. Foreign tourist arrivals fell 4.59% in the first 10 months of 2026 against the same period a year earlier.

Alabbar said he was still optimistic about Thai tourism. He described Bangkok as the living heart of Asia and said tourism in the city was growing by about 3%, despite the wider drop in international arrivals.

He pointed to a project he developed in a European country in a year when its economy contracted by 1%. Its GDP then grew by 5% over the next three years, he said.

In Thailand, Alabbar described Sorapoj Techakraisri, CEO of Pace Development Corporation, as a personal adviser and friend, and said he was open to local partners co-investing in his projects. He told THE STANDARD WEALTH he generally prefers joint ventures with landowners to buying land outright.

Outside Bangkok, Alabbar said he was interested in buying or leasing coastal land in Thailand for a large resort, and that the company could look at sites of about 3,000 to 4,000 rai. According to THE STANDARD WEALTH, Eagle Hills' track record includes an Egyptian beach scheme stretching over 6km and a resort of 9,000 homes and 11 hotels.

The Khlong Toei Port area in Bangkok is another site on his list. Alabbar said Eagle Hills would look at putting money into its redevelopment should the Thai government open it up to private investors.