Architectural and Façade Lighting

What we do

We design, supply, install and programme lighting for the outside of buildings: towers, façades, rooftops, arches and domes on hotels, malls and landmark structures.

A façade project is three jobs that have to agree with each other. The light has to reach each surface from the mounting positions the building allows. The fixtures have to run from a control system the building can operate. And someone has to write the programmes that decide how the building looks on an ordinary night, on National Day or during a private event.

Every project is covered by our three capabilities:

• Design and consultancy: fixture and optic selection, lighting simulation, control architecture, and consultancy on media façades.
• Supply and integration: fixtures, controllers and data networks, installation, addressing, programming and commissioning.
• Training, servicing and support: operator training, maintenance and support after handover.

Atlantis The Palm: the Royal Towers, Arch and Turrets

At Atlantis The Palm on Palm Jumeirah we lit the Royal Towers, the Arch and the Turrets. The brief covered the tower structure and its Palm-facing side. Visual Productions' project page lists the year as 2023, and the fixture manufacturer, Studio Due, publishes its own case study of the project naming Pulse.

Optics for 90-metre towers

The towers are about 90 m high. To carry light to the top, Studio Due developed a special 4° beam for the project. Inside the arch and the dome areas, a mix of 8°, 25° and 40° lenses spreads the light evenly. The design was simulated in DIALux and checked by testing on site.

Studio Due fixtures on the project include:

• ARCHIBAR SL250 RGBW, 90 cm, in 8° and 25° versions
• CityColor R10 in 25° and 40°, with marine-grade custom paint, anti-glare and frame
• Smart Max30 RGBWA, 100°

Two phases

Phase one lit the tower structure and established the base lighting system. Phase two added pixel-controlled LED neon to the arch and the triangular elements, so those details can run dynamic sequences.

Sixteen Prolights Astra Beam260IP fixtures throw beams across the Palm towards Dubai Marina.

Programming, playback and scheduling

The lighting was programmed on ChamSys MagicQ. Visual Productions QuadCore architectural lighting controllers store and play back the scenes. Scripting, task management and scheduling run on PIXILAB Blocks, from the Swedish manufacturer PIXILAB.

The schedule holds separate programmes for the Festive Season, Halloween and National Day, and adjusts the lighting times automatically as the seasons change. For events, staff select scenes from a control panel.

Other façade and rooftop projects

Four Points by Sheraton, Sheikh Zayed Road

On the rooftop of Four Points by Sheraton we installed 28 Prolights ARCPOD 27Q fixtures, seven on each side, for consistent light on every face. Each runs in 17-channel mode, which gives independent control of its three LED rows and allows vertical wave effects. DMX addresses and modes were set over RDM to keep commissioning short. Two LumiPar 12IP fixtures serve as "selfie lights" for guests photographing the skyline.

Colours are tied to occasions: the rooftop turns pink for Ladies' Night. The system runs autonomously, and a single touch button starts it on demand. Control is on Visual Productions QuadCore and B-Station 2.

Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi

At Marina Mall we started with an assessment of the façade to decide fixture positions and types. RGB LED fixtures change the colour of the façade, and focused lighting picks out the columns and entrances. Installation was carried out with minimal disruption to the mall's operations. Scenes and automated sequences for holidays and special events were programmed on ChamSys, followed by testing and commissioning.

Rixos and Omnia Tower, Abu Dhabi

We designed and installed the façade lighting of the Rixos hotel in Abu Dhabi, and lit Omnia Tower in Abu Dhabi working with Vision Pro Lighting.

Where a building needs screen content rather than light alone, we also advise on media façades. At 06 Mall in Sharjah we installed outdoor digital screens.

Problems we plan for

• Throw distance and optics. Beam angle decides whether light reaches the top of a structure or spills into the sky. At Atlantis a 4° beam reaches the top of 90 m towers, while wider lenses fill the arch and dome.
• Coastal exposure. Sites by the sea need finishes that stand up to salt air. The CityColor R10 fixtures at Atlantis were supplied with marine-grade custom paint.
• Pixel control. Pixel-controlled LED in the Atlantis arch, and separate control of three LED rows per fixture at Four Points, let a building show movement as well as colour.
• Scheduling and seasonal programmes. A façade runs unattended night after night. Atlantis follows seasonal timing and holds Festive Season, Halloween and National Day programmes; Marina Mall has automated sequences for holidays and events.
• Operator control. Day-to-day control has to suit hotel or mall staff, not lighting programmers. Atlantis has a control panel for event scenes; Four Points has a single touch button.

Manufacturers on our façade projects

• Studio Due (Italy): ARCHIBAR, CityColor and Smart Max fixtures at Atlantis The Palm.
• Prolights: Astra Beam260IP at Atlantis; ARCPOD 27Q at Four Points.
• Visual Productions: QuadCore architectural lighting controllers at Atlantis; QuadCore and B-Station 2 at Four Points.
• PIXILAB: Blocks for scripting, task management and scheduling at Atlantis.
• ChamSys: MagicQ programming at Atlantis; lighting control and programming at Marina Mall.
• Vision Pro Lighting: Omnia Tower.

How a project runs

• Survey. We assess the façade for fixture positions and types, as at Marina Mall.
• Simulation. Beam angles and light levels are modelled in DIALux, as at Atlantis.
• On-site testing. Fixtures and optics are tested on the building itself, as at Atlantis.
• Phased installation. Large structures go in stages: Atlantis ran in two phases, and Marina Mall was installed with minimal disruption to its operations.
• Addressing and programming. Fixtures are addressed (over RDM at Four Points), scenes are programmed (on ChamSys MagicQ at Atlantis) and loaded onto controllers for playback.
• Scheduling and handover. Seasonal timing, event programmes and operator controls are set up and tested, then we train the people who will run the system.

Where we work

Pulse was founded in Dubai in 2010 by Joe Chidiac, CEO and Partner. Our engineers, programmers, project managers and technicians work from one building in Dubai Investment Park.

The façade projects on our portfolio are in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with outdoor screens in Sharjah. Our wider portfolio of audio, video and lighting projects also covers Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt and Singapore.