Saudi Arabia’s ancient city of At-Turaif, in Diriyah, has been brought to life after dark using a powerful lighting control system from Pharos Architectural Controls.
The UNESCO World Heritage site dates back to the 15th Century and is considered one of the most important political and historical locations in the country. It is the first capital of the Saudi state, and where the modernisation of the country started. Located on a raised position at the edge of the ad-Dir’iyah oasis, in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula, it includes the remains of many palaces and an urban settlement made up of a network of mud-brick buildings and other structures. Attracting domestic and international visitors, At-Turaif is a must-see destination for those in the Middle East.
To add to the site’s appeal, a large-scale project was commissioned by Diriyah Gate Development Company to illuminate the ancient city during the hours of darkness. Renowned lighting designers Speirs Major Light Architecture were commissioned to deliver the lighting scheme. Speirs Major specified a significant number of products from Pharos Architectural Controls to deliver the control for over 60 universes of DMX distributed across the installation, including control of 3,200 linear RGBW fixtures from Martin Professional.
The sheer size of the site and the number of fixtures involved required a large control system from Pharos, with multiple Pharos Designer LPC X (Lighting Playback Controller X), comprising three LPC 20s and two LPC 10s. DMX distribution via Ethernet to local points around the site was achieved using twenty eight Pharos Designer EDN 20s (Ethernet Data Node). Having multiple LPC X distributed across the city had the benefit of some autonomy and resilience, given whole-site connectivity wasn’t initially in place, and greater freedom during commissioning to bring areas online as they were installed and completed. The networked controllers could then act as one seamless system in one project file.
The Designer LPC X is an all-in-one lighting control solution, in a rugged rackmount that offers complete reliability in 24/7 operation, ideal for large-scale LED lighting installations such as At-Turaif. Unusually, on this project, the high-capacity requirement wasn’t for high-resolution pixel arrays, but rather for the huge number of individual luminaires spread across the site, which, although they mostly appear to be programmed the same, are fine-tuned fixture-by-fixture to accommodate nuanced adjustments. As the Pharos LPC X features individually controllable and independently running timelines and scenes, and individually controlled fixtures, it fulfilled the requirements for this project, also easing the patching and addressing process for over 30,000 DMX channels and solving the challenges of running dynamic effects across the large-scale site. The control system also offers the freedom of real-time manual overrides via multiple Pharos Designer TPS (Touch Panel Stations) and the versatility of powerful show control, scripting, and integration features if they are ever needed.
The complexity of delivering the lighting across the entire historic expanse clearly demonstrates the power of the technology and the capabilities of the controls offered by Pharos.
A very specific shade of apricot-gold was chosen by Speirs Major Light Architecture to allow the mud-brick walls to glow in a natural and aesthetic way, and to meet the brief from Diriyah Gate Development Agency’s Group CEO. Another key element of the design, made possible through bespoke programming of the system, is for the lighting to respond when a full moon occurs, highlighting the importance of the lunar calendar in the Muslim faith. To celebrate the new moon each month, the external walls shift to a shade of silvery blue, with warm light illuminating the interior spaces of the ancient city. Other programming, including green shades and white shades, reflects the flag of Saudi Arabia to run on national days of celebration and commemoration.
Ryan Sainsbury, Regional Sales Manager at Pharos Architectural Controls said: “At-Turaif is an inspiring site, captivating the imagination of everyone who visits it. It’s a real honour to be part of this historically significant project, and to know that Pharos is adding to the visitor experience through the use of our products and technologies. “The programming of the lunar phasing was a fascinating element of the overall project, and I’m really proud to have been part of the team that delivered this special and unique effect.”
Iain Ruxton, Associate Partner at Speirs Major Light Architecture added: “The project team worked really hard to bring this epic and huge-scale project to fruition. Specifying Pharos Architectural Controls was undoubtedly the right choice for us. I can’t think of any other system that we could have used to get us where we are today and the overall effect is simply stunning.”
Project Credits:
Client: Diriyah Company
Lighting Manufacturer: Martin Professional
Equipment Supply & Commissioning: Martin Professional Middle East
Installation: Enpro
Photographer: Allan Toft / Martin Professional
Engineers: DAR
Lighting Design: Speirs Major Light Architecture
Lighting Controls: Pharos Architectural Controls
