PROJECTS AT A GLANCE
Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai This collaborative project is a newly constructed, five-star resort style hotel located on Dubai’s Arabian Gulf shoreline.
Over a period of four years, dpa worked in close collaboration with the client, operator and design team WASL Group, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Architects DAR, interior designers from Design Wilkes, and Silverfox to design the lighting solutions for all public front of house areas of the hotel, internally and externally.
As part of the design brief, dpa worked closely with all parties from initial conception stage, ensuring that the lighting design was cohesive throughout the hotel, and well-integrated within the interior design and architecture.
The main lobby is very important, forming the first impression of the hotel for arriving guests and visitors. At 12 metres tall, it provided a challenge to ensure that the lighting was sufficient to adequately illuminate the space during daylight hours, with the dimming range to provide subtlety and ambience after dark. A discreet, linear, ceiling recessed system was designed and specified, allowing high output linear LED luminaires to be installed in a way which matched the rhythm of the architecture and the ceiling.
At ground level, there is a colonnade of 14 Light Trees, designed by Design Wilkes and Preciosa, with technical and aesthetic input from dpa. The ‘trees’ feature approximately
900 individually addressed LED light points, illuminating hand blown glass leaves. The leaves are programmed to produce dynamic ripples of light, individually varying their brightness to create differing effects. The arrangement of the colonnades leads the eye along the central water feature, and through to the landscaped, beach adjacent courtyard and lap pool.
dpa implemented a series of suspended lighting truss rigs, upon which were mounted theatrical RGBW projectors, with variable beam angles and focussing. These projectors were used to provide warm white intensity at the points where food is displayed and served, and dramatic coloured accents around the space. RGBW linear floodlights were mounted on top of the rigs to provide a coloured wash of light to the MEP service at high level, accentuating the height and industrial aesthetic of the space.