Gulf Construction Online - Water features light up Al Ghurair Centre

UAE Focus

An array of vertical water jets ... in the South Court atrium.

Water features light up Al Ghurair Centre

01 April 2010

CANADA’S Crystal Fountains is installing two fountains at the Al Ghurair Centre in Dubai.

The Toronto-based water feature specialist is installing the stunning water fountains into both the north and south atria of the 218,000-sq-m expansion of the centre, one of Dubai’s original shopping malls.
The expansion will add three retail levels as well as two 20-storey towers to the mall. One of the towers will house a hotel while the other will be a residential building.
Located in the North Court atrium, the water feature can be seen from the ground floor or from the floors above, with the variety of combined textures and modes creating a unique tapestry of water expressions. This contemporary structured water feature includes an elevated pool designed to slowly cascade water into a hidden trough.
Individually-programmed pop jets have been incorporated into the pool to generate 12-mm-diameter balls of water which rise from the surface to an overall height of 450 mm. Each ball of water is illuminated by LED RGB lights, creating dramatic spectral lighting effects.
Along with the pop jets, a laminar device is used to construct glass rods of water which are arranged in a circular pattern. These devices are also individually programmed to shoot smooth streams of water into the air, transforming the fountain from a static water form to a more dynamic water display.
In the South Court atrium, the water feature consists of two circular pools connected by a lower linear pool. An array of vertical water jets, which create numerous patterns connect the large circular pool and the central lower one. At key times throughout the show, these jets will erupt water into the air to a height of 18 m.
At the opposite end of the feature, the smaller circular pool is constructed with jets that produce small beads of water in a fan shape. LED RGB light technology will be incorporated into the water feature show. These lighting devices are individually programmed to produce thousands of different colours, creating a unique light display.