Lighting designer TED FERREIRA on the unreal challenge of lighting an aquarium inside one of the world’s biggest malls

Anyone who has trawled Dubai Mall and come face to face with it’s resident sharks (no, not the guys offering cheap credit cards – for the record, they became extinct a few months ago) can’t help but notice how realistic their aquarium environment looks. The Dubai Mall’s aquarium is home to more than 33,000 living specimens, 85 species of sea creatures and over 400 sharks and rays – all lit up so beautifully that it really does seem like a slice of the ocean inserted into the mall.

Ted Ferreira of CD+M Lighting Design Group understands however that lighting isn’t what people notice when they peer through the aquarium’s glass (incidentally the world’s largest viewing panel).

“In the aquarium, the animals are the stars and the big event; the lighting is intended to be secondary,” he tells us.

Ferreira’s intent as a designer was to create an environmental space with shifting light. What he has designed is an innovative ‘lunar-cyclic’ lighting system that alters the ambience of the facility depending on the time of day: from daylight to moonlight.

“The brief was to create environmental lighting. We had to provide a subtle but effective change of atmosphere so if you spend a long day at the mall, you can witness different moods and colours in the tank every time you walk by.”

Usually, in aquariums the view is restricted to one or two views into the tank, so it is easier to control what people see. However, the 50-meter long aquarium is pierced by a glass tunnel that offers a 270 degree view into the tank. This made it one of the most difficult projects that Ferreira and CD+M have ever executed.

The designers used fairly specific lighting products designed for extremely abusive environments (since it’s a saltwater tank which is very corrosive). The lighting design took two years from start to finish, while the actual aquarium took three years to complete.

The other big challenge for the lighting design was the maintenance, as the lights are only above 1.5 m above the surface of the water.

With sharks swimming in the water below, the maintenance crew in rubber dinghies has to be careful not to drop anything into the water below as well. “It’s complicated by the fact that electricity and water don’t mix well,” Ferreira comments wryly.

The subtlety and efficiency of the lighting scheme has won awards and acclaim. The biggest testimonial to its success however are the crowds of gaping visitors thronging the tunnel, eager to watch a dugong float by lazily or catch a sand tiger shark in feeding frenzy. There is no doubt that the Dubai Mall aquarium is one of the big tourist draws for the emirate.

“A large part of what we do is help create destinations, places that people want to be in. That’s the aesthetic side of our business,” Ferreira says, adding, “The best lighting projects are the ones where you don’t really perceive the lighting. It shouldn’t draw attention to itself any more than any other design aesthetics. The best work we do in lighting is subtle, integrated into the architecture, interiors and landscape. It’s all about the space.”

TED FERREIRA

A lighting designer with over 20 years experience in the design of entertainment, retail, dining, educational and commercial facilities, Ferreira’s work ranges from conceptual design to project management and site supervision for more than 400 projects worldwide exceeding $8 billion in aggregate value. Ferreira holds advanced degrees in industrial engineering and design.

by SHALAKA PARADKAR