Speirs and Major Associates to Design Public Lighting at Al Raha Beach Development

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, August, 13,  2006 - ALDAR Properties PJSC announced today that it has awarded a contract for the lighting design at Al Raha Beach to United Kingdom designer Speirs and Major Associates - as part of the 10 billion AED infrastructure budget.

The contract awarded is for a project-wide strategic lighting masterplan and lighting concepts for all public realm areas within the development including; parks, canals, pedestrian walkways and footbridges. The appointment will ensure that a lighting masterplan is approved and implemented at the infrastructure stage, allowing Speirs and Major the opportunity to incorporate exterior lighting within all precincts.

Commenting on the announcement ALDAR's Chief Operating Officer, Ronald Barrott said: "The appointment of Speirs and Major Associates adds another leading and world renowned designer to the existing team currently working on the project. Lighting is an integral part of the overall Al Raha Beach Masterplan.  Speirs and Major will create a safe and an aesthetically pleasing environment, whilst ensuring that the design of the lighting is in harmony with the environment."

Speirs and Major Associates are based in the UK and have completed a wide variety of award-winning projects for both public and private clients.  These projects include corporate headquarters, museums, exhibitions, hotels, retail developments and transport projects in the UK, Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East, North America and Asia. 

They are also the company who won the Award of Distinction, International Illumination Design Awards, 2000 for the external lighting design of the Burj Al Arab in the UAE.

Jonathan Speirs, a Principal at Speirs and Major Associates said: "The Al Raha Beach project will allow exciting and unique lighting opportunities, creating an attractive and varied series of lit environments for relaxation and entertainment in the evenings. This will be the first major development in the UAE that will have a project-wide integrated lighting strategy from the very outset." 

Al Raha Beach Project Director Michael Cox welcomed the appointment saying: "Speirs and Major Associates are at the forefront of creative lighting design and technology; their designs will add to the offering of the overall development and create a unique atmosphere within one of Abu Dhabi's most prestigious projects."

The design process will begin in August 2006 with construction due to be completed by July 2009.

-Ends-

Note to Editors: 
ALDAR Properties PJSC is a premier real estate development, management and investment company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The company was formed as a result of an initial Public Offering (IPO) of shares. The PJSC was created under Emiri Decree No 808 of 2004. ALDAR Properties PJSC is owned by leading Abu Dhabi institutions, founder shareholders and individual investors

ALDAR Properties PJSC was created to fast track real estate investment opportunities, and to offer an opportunity to participate in the prosperity of this increasingly important industry in the UAE. 

The current property portfolio includes major developments and re-developments within Abu Dhabi Emirate, such as the Central Market in Abu Dhabi, the Al Raha Beach Development in Sas Al Nahkel ,Al Gurm Resort, Ferrari World, Al Mamoura - the Mubadala Development Company and Environment Agency Abu Dhabi Headquarter Building in Abu Dhabi and the Al Jimi Mall Expansion in Al Ain..  

For more information visit our website www.aldar.com  

Fact sheet
Speirs and Major Associates:

  • Are a United Kingdom based company

  • Were formed from the merger of Jonathan Speirs and Associates and Speirs and Major (Lighting Architects Group).   

  • Offer a full range of professional lighting design services, from daylight and sunlight analysis to artificial lighting design and specification.

  • Have completed a wide variety of award-winning projects for both public and private clients. 

  • Won the Award of Distinction, International Illumination Design Awards, 2000 for the external lighting design of the Burj Al Arab in the UAE.

  • Work in the UK, Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East, North America and Asia. 

Speirs and Major Associates projects include:

  • Corporate headquarters

  • Museums

  • Exhibitions

  • Hotels

  • Retail developments

  • Transport

Examples of Speirs and Major Associated projects include:

  • External lighting to the Millennium Dome, London;

  • Internal and external lighting for The Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque, Abu Dhabi;

  • City wide lighting strategies for the cities of Cambridge, Coventry, Oslo; 30 St. Mary Axe (Swiss Re, "the Gherkin"), London;

  • The new Copenhagen Opera House, Denmark; the Eden Project, Cornwall; the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, UK;

  • Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, London;

  • The new Beijing International Airport, China;

  • Madrid International Airport, Spain.

http://www.lightarch.com/home.htm

For further information, please contact:
Karen Lay at SAREEM INTERNATIONAL,
Tel:  + 971 4 343 3688
Fax: + 971 321 1988 
Email: karen@sareem.net

Or

Sophie Evatt 
Corporate Communications Manager
ALDAR PROPERTIES PJSC
Tel:+ 971 2 696 4444,
Fax: + 971 2 641 7504
Email: sevatt@aldar.com

Shamma Al Nuaimi - Media Manager
ALDAR PROPERTIES PJSC
Tel:+ 971 2 668 4412,
Fax: + 971 2 641 7504
Email: salnuaimi@aldar.com

© Press Release 2006