Dubai Water Canal: light,
water and moon phases
O
pened Nov. 9, 2016, the Dubai Water
Canal is the new massive public work
commissioned by the city government to turn
the centre of Dubai into a circumnavigable island.
The Italian company Neri SpA has been
commissioned with the lighting of the
promenades designed by CPLD, an Athenian
lighting design firm. The project has been
nominated in the category "Best Landscape
Lighting Scheme – High Budget" for
the London Darc Awards.
The canal, which costed 2.7 million AEDs,
is 3.2km long and 80-120m wide, and winds
through Dubai's main arterial road, the Sheikh
Zayed Road, Safa Park and the Jumeirah
residential district, ending in the Persian Gulf.
After several projects in the Middle East – from
the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi to the new
City Walk and Meeras shopping malls in Dubai,
from Lusail in Qatar to The Waves in Muscat,
Oman –, Neri SpA has been selected to work
together with the Greek lighting designer
Christos Papachristos to one of the most iconic
projects of the latest years.
From the promenades to the squares, from
the taxi stations to the bridges, the CPLD
study dealt with the strategic lighting plan
of the whole area, defining the night-time
identity of the entire district.
In response to the client's request for a series
of attractive and dynamic spaces, the lighting
designers conceived a functional and flexible
lighting. The landscape lighting has been integrated
to the functional one through the use of specially
designed streetlights, made by Neri SpA
and positioned along the pedestrian paths.
Power Line Communication is the system used
for all functional lighting, providing real-time
feedback and control for each lighting source.
A sophisticated dialogue between light, space
and time has been thus achieved, thanks
to the dynamic lighting system that enhances
the multi-sensory experience of the promenade,
giving identity to the place.
The reflection of light on the water flowing
in the channel and its connection to the lunar
cycle have been the main source of inspiration
for the lighting system. The basic element of the
light movement has been the main design tool,
by modifying the light intensity and pre-
programming the RGBW LED segments placed
towards the canal within the vertical elements
and above the lamp.
The extremely complex lampposts manufactured
for the project incorporate smart controls
to manage the different lighting points, as well
as Wi-Fi, USB outlets and cameras.
The pedestrian path is illuminated with white
light, while 24-channel RGBW lights are provided
for colouring the water. 4-channel RGBW lights
have been chosen for the terminal part
of the streetlight and to illuminate the facades
of the buildings behind.
The panorama on both banks continuously changes
thanks to the always different light reflection
on the water run by tailored DMX controls.
Seen from afar, the rhythmic pattern of light
of the Neri lamp posts on both sides creates a
vertical projection of the channel, thus expanding
its elegant serpentine course on the mainland.
Neri SpA
Neri SpA è un produttore
di illuminazione e arredo urbano con
sede in Emilia-Romagna, Italia. Fondata
nel 1962 da Domenico Neri, l’azienda
è oggi guidata dalla terza generazione
della famiglia. Le dimensioni, la capacità
di ingegnarsi tipicamente italiana,
la passione per il buon design
e la precisione ingegneristica, rendono
l’azienda estremamente flessibile
ed il partner ideale per i professionisti
della luce, offrendo assistenza lungo
il percorso progettuale e la possibilità
di vedere le proprie idee in azione
sin dalle fasi iniziali tramite modelli,
campioni ed ambienti di prova
all’avanguardia.
Neri SpA is a lighting and urban
furniture manufacturer based in
Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Founded in 1962
by Domenico Neri, the company is now
led by the third generation of the family.
The size, the typically Italian wit, the
passion for good design and engineering
precision, make the company extremely
flexible and the ideal partner for lighting
professionals. Offering assistance
throughout the design process, ideas are
put in action since an early stage by
means of models, samples and cutting-
edge test environments.
www.neri.biz
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