Creating Immersive Public Art with Light

The Al Wahda Arches, also known as the 5/6 Arch, Qatar Arch, and Gateway Arch in Doha, Qatar, is the tallest monument in the country. In 2018, the structure was recognized with the ENR Global Best Project Award and again in 2020 with the prestigious International Design Award. The monumental pair of 20° inclined steel arches, spans the "5/6 interchange" of the Lusail expressway which connects West Bay with Lusail City. The structure consists of 54 large steel pieces, weighing over 9,000 tons, while the base of the arches are clad in Limra Limestone from Turkey.

The $74 million project began in December 2013 and after partial completion was inaugurated along with the expressway for National Day celebrations in December 2017. Due to construction occurring during the 2017 Qatar blockade the arches have taken on a local cultural significance of resilience.

Al Wahda Arch is intended to be viewed while in motion as an immersive public artwork. The monument, suspended viewing platform, and associated visitor center were commissioned by Ashghal, the public works authority, designed by German architect Erik Behrens for AECOM, engineering by Maffeis Engineering and constructed by Eversendai. This effect was achieved by using Color Kinetics luminaires to create a media screen that would provide entertaining and meaningful content.

Lighting designers opted for a custom version of Color Kinetics Flex Compact RGB to compete the design. Over 1,700 strings with 60,000 individually controllable nodes were mounted inside customized node holders which were then attached to a secondary steel mesh support to create 3,000 sq m (32,300 sq ft) media façades. The nodes are positioned back-to-back with a pixel pitch of 300 mm (1 ft). This design ensures the two media façades are visible from each direction, even hundreds of feet away on the roadway surface. The project is controlled by Pharos and uses a CM-150 CA gen2 for power and data supplies.

Color Kinetics luminaires were specifically chosen for this project due to their ability to withstand harsh environments. The reliability of the brand and wide range of global references were also considered when making the choice.