Opened in 2001, the prestigious Abu Dhabi Mall has stood as a landmark of the cityscape for almost two decades. It has welcomed visitors for a long time, serving as a veritable communal space for the city and its people. Its long history has endeared it to the citizens of Abu Dhabi and made it a staple of their daily lives, yet it also meant that it was time for a makeover in order to fully modernize it.
The shopping mall recently underwent considerable renovations, and Hilights took over as the lighting designer with Lumiere Group as the supplier. It was a project of significant extent that aimed at upgrading and modernizing the quality of light in the mall while minimizing the quantity of luminaires and reducing the consumption. This was a long overdue step in the age of sustainability and environmentally-friendly LEDs. But bringing the mall into the 21st Century was not the only objective. Enhancing the shopping experience of visitors by providing more comfortable, functional yet discreet lighting was just as important, and a high CRI was used all over the mall in conjunction with black grooves that helped modernize the space, presenting a very clean and minimalistic design.
For this task, Viabizzuno’s 094 system, Eco systems and C2 profiles were chosen, perfectly adapting to the wide, spacious layout of the mall. Their expansive yet non-intrusive light blended seamlessly into the neutral tone of the surrounding walls and floors, providing organically homogeneous general lighting. Some of the existing spots were also replaced with downlights from Regent. The central spine that runs along the mall’s ceiling was fitted with alternating lighting incorporated into the very arches themselves, while long lines of built-in spots were placed within the black grooves that run along the main thoroughfare before branching off into the depths of the mall.
The interplay of white and black, as well as the parallel and perpendicular lines enhance the glaringly modern style that permeates the design both in shape and color. Smaller areas of focus received special attention with little islands of diffuse light, drawing the attention of visitors to specific zones of interest. A picture-perfect specimen of contemporary aesthetics, the lighting design of the Abu Dhabi Mall exemplifies the distinctive luxury, comfort and elegance of the modern lifestyle.