ABU DHABI, UAE — The 842-meter-long, 60-meter-high Sheikh Zayed Bridge, which connects mainland Dubai to the island of Abu Dhabi and acts as a gateway to the city, features a color-changing lighting design using fixtures from Martin Professional, including 204 Martin Exterior 600 and 130 Martin Exterior 200 color changing luminaires, as well as 956 Martin Cyclo 01 linear fluorescent luminaires.
The idea for illuminating the Sheikh Zayed Bridge began over a decade ago when colored illumination was promoted by Nour Assafiri, CEO of Martin Middle East, to the Municipality of Abu Dhabi. They liked the idea and, accordingly, asked the bridge’s architect Zaha Hadid to consider the concept.
The bridge is designed with a linear deck and waveform spine with three main arches. The spine arches are illuminated by Martin dynamic colored light that extends both above and below road level. Fitted in lighting cells underneath the deck of the bridge are customized Martin Cyclo fixtures for white light illumination.
A redundant lighting control system is centered around a Martin Maxxyz Compact lighting console, which was used for lighting programming, with a Martin M-PC used for control of daily lighting scenes.
Viewers can watch shifting colored light smoothly flow across the bridge in a design based on two principles: as a metaphor of energy flowing across the water, visualized by colored light cross-fading from one shade to another while simultaneously moving along the bridge’s spine. Secondly, the lighting renders the bridge’s spine three-dimensionally at night by projecting different colors on horizontal and vertical surfaces, thus articulating the spatial structure of the bridge’s spine.
These lighting scenarios also can be used to celebrate religious traditions, festivities and public events. With the new moon each month, the bridge lighting mimics the inspiring Martin nighttime illumination of the landmark Grand Mosque, which sits nearby. Once a month, both iconic structures appear tinted in deep blue to create a sense of urban, and cultural, connectivity.
Rogier van der Heide, chief designer and vice president at Philips Lighting, and previous director at Hollands Licht and Arup Lighting, created the original lighting design concept for the bridge. “The lighting design of this project was incredibly complex,” van der Heide said. “I had to integrate color changing technology, dust- and waterproof equipment, a very advanced control network and special optics into a single holistic solution to realize the creative design.”
Martin Professional Middle East played a key role in executing the design and realizing the final effect, van der Heide noted. The lighting design was further detailed with an international design team at Arup. The final project phases, including programming of 13 artistic scenarios, were led by Simone Collon, associate and lighting designer at Arup.
“Without the tremendous contribution of Martin Pro Middle East and High Point Rendel, this project could not have been done,” van der Heide said. “The successful finalization of this project demonstrates how important it is to collaborate, and how architectural lighting has evolved into a holistic discipline that brings together designers, manufacturers and engineers in an integrated process.”
Key contributors (lighting):
Rogier van der Heide: Lighting design concept, detailed lighting design, lighting specification
Martin Professional Middle East: Systems integration, on-site supervision, software programming, feature lighting equipment
Arup Lighting: Specification validation, technical drawings, lighting scenarios
High Point Rendel: Lighting electrical engineering
Philips Lighting: Road lighting equipment
Sixco: Collaboration in programming and commissioning
Arup, Martin Middle East, Lichtpunt: On site commissioning
Martin Middle East (MME) involvement:
1997: Colored illumination promoted by Nour Assafiri (MME) to the Municipality of Abu Dhabi
2002: MME supported the design as the contractor was looking for alternative design products to cut costs. Worked in close collaboration with Arup.
2002: Completed a mock up of project
2002: MME works with Martin HQ to customize Cyclo 01 luminaire to fit project
2005: MME, with Arup, produce an animation to visualize Arup’s design which is submitted to the client and used to promote color changing illumination on the bridge
2008: MME finalize together with Arup representative Rogier Van Der Hiede the cabling network and re-design control solution to a Martin control system.
2009: MME finalizes the project with the contractor and begins supply
2010. Installation, testing, focusing, and commissioning executed by MME engineers
2011: MME programs the lighting system to client and designer’s satisfaction
Martin Professional equipment:
956 Martin Cyclo 01
204 Martin Exterior 600
130 Martin Exterior 200
1 Martin Maxxyz Compact
1 Martin M-PC
12 Martin Exther2DMX8
9 Martin RS-485 Optosplitter
10 Martin Ethernet Switch
Photos: Christian Richters
For more information, please visit www.martin.com.
