Building A Tower In 12 Days, Near Bankruptcy: Emaar Founder Shares Lessons In Success

Prominent Emirati entrepreneur Mohammed Al Abbar shared that one of the most important lessons of his career has been observing and constantly learning.

He shared about a recent visit to China to study a new generation of rapid-construction technology.

He said the trip was prompted directly by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who asked him to examine a Chinese factory capable of producing high-rise buildings at unprecedented speed.

The result, he said, was“mind-blowing”: a 15-storey building assembled in just 12 days, a pace that could reshape the future of construction globally.

The technology, which relies on prefabrication, robotics and highly automated processes, is also significantly more sustainable than traditional construction methods, he said.

“That tells you how our leadership thinks... Why is nobody else in the world ordering buildings from this factory?” He said, adding that the technology is being used to construct a building in Abu Dhabi currently and that he hoped mass production of the technology would bring its costs down.

Alabbar was addressing a session at the Emaar arena at the 1 Billion Summit.

The three-day conference, one of the largest content creator expos in the world, is underway at the Emirates Towers, the Museum of the Future and DIFC.

In a conversation that was candid, humorous and sharp, Alabbar also discussed the lessons failures taught him and critiqued global leadership policies.

Reflecting on his own journey, Al Abbar cautioned that debt can be a silent destroyer, particularly in an increasingly unstable global economy.“If you don't have money to do business, please don't borrow,” he told the audience.

“Borrowing injured me deeply. I minimised my borrowing to the maximum, and that saved me all my life.”

He also recalled candidly about almost going bankrupt in 1997 during his retail operations in Singapore, describing it as one of the most formative moments of his career.

He also stressed that innovation must be paired with humility and hard work.

Despite building some of the world's most recognisable landmarks, he said success is never guaranteed.“We made a lot of mistakes,” he told the audience, noting that Emaar's failed expansion into the US in the mid-2000s cost more than $1 billion but delivered invaluable lessons.

He urged the audience to accept failure as part of the journey, stressing that success is rarely linear.

“You are not going to do everything right,” he said.“Failing is also learning. The real question is whether you can stand up again.”

MENAFN10012026000049011007ID1110581415