The international luxury hotel complex not far from Dubai on the shores of the Persian Gulf was named after Ibn Battuta, a great 14th century Moroccan explorer, whose exploits have inspired the overall style, based on the theme of Morocco itself. In collaboration with the Dar Al-Handasah engineering firm, Light Cibles was entrusted with the exterior lighting design for the Battuta building, which is over 100 metres long. The complex includes a hotel, with a majestic entrance more than 60 metres high, and an immense central atrium surrounded by a shopping arcade. The total surface area is more than 35,000 square metres, and also comprises extensive office space. The lighting for the Morocco-inspired architecture exploits the silhouette effects of mashrabiyas on the facades, exploiting the crenelated surfaces and using a multitude of Arab-style lanterns to create a lattice-work of light and shadow.

There are some 2,500 light points, including 450 lanterns, 65 lamp posts, 400 façade projectors as well as 700 linear lamps highlighting approximately 40 percent of the windows in a more random manner. The central atrium is decorated with 92 specially manufactured lanterns of unusual size (2.4 metres high, 1.2 metres in diameter), adapted to better enhance the sheer scale of the space they illuminate.

Project Director: EMMANUEL CLAIR
Assisted by: TRISTAN BULLIER