By Light Concept
Sharjah Mosque is the second biggest mosque in United Arab Emirates, it is a divine and spiritual architectural icon. Our goal, both a challenge and a pleasure, was to allow our lighting design to preserve and accentuate its architectural and religious values. The main indoor lighting concept design was helping to create a divine and inviting atmosphere for visitors.
LED small in size lighting fittings had been used to minimize the physical visibility of the lighting fittings but at the same time impose the lighting affects in a perfect way. Warm and very warm color temperatures LED had been selected to add more divine feelings to the people visiting and praying. Mainly surface mounted linear, small Projectors and Track with small projectors LED lighting fittings in different beam angels were used along with decorative Islamic custom made chandeliers.
Light and Shade affect was one of the major lighting concepts for the project. This was successfully implemented on the main dome, half domes, Islamic paintings on the walls, windows, Mukarnas and main columns. Light and shade was done in a way not to affect people reading or praying, lighting on the floor of the mosque is very uniform, not glary and comfortable. Light and shade concept was used mainly for the ceiling architectural elements.
The main light on the floor was created using indirect lighting from the main and half domes along with the track projectors and chandeliers.
The main dome is a major architectural element inside the mosque. It is lit using special LED Projectors with special elliptical beam angel, 2500K installed invisible all around the Dome giving a very warm uniform indirect lighting on the dome. The Islamic paintings and letters on the dome appeared in a very beautiful way.
The half domes are also lit using indirect LED flood lights but with 3000K color temperature to differentiate them from the main dome and to create a depth in the overall scenery.
The book shelves scattered in all the walls inside the mosque were lit using indirect small 2700K LED bars hidden inside the shelves where a glow of light effect was created.
Custom made Islamic chandeliers were carefully designed to match with the interior. Some of those chandelier was customized to light the small domes above them.
The overall indoor lighting was done in a way to define each architectural element inside the mosque and try to let those features communicate between each other’s and look more beautiful in night time than day time.
A professional advanced lighting control system were used for the indoor lighting. Along with saving power consumption and energy, this lighting control system helped to create different lighting scenes inside the mosque. One example id lighting the main dome alone which appears like floating in the space. Other example is to light the main dome with the half domes, and so on. All lighting scenes are programmed and can be used by a press of a button or even from facility management mobile phones.
