The lighting is all part of its Allure

Allure nightclub, overlooking the marina and Grand Prix circuit on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, features a neutral white interior that serves as a canvas for Inverse Lighting’s total lighting design. Jill Entwistle was on the guest list

It’s probably something of an understatement to say that they don’t do things by halves in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and the Yas Island development in AD is one of the more recent examples of excess in the emirates. The US$36 billion, 2,500ha enterprise includes the Yas Marina Formula 1 circuit, which now hosts the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and was named the world’s leading tourism project at the World Travel Awards in 2009. A cluster of up-scale bars, restaurants and clubs has naturally sprung up in this glamorous milieu, the latest of which is Allure, the first nightclub from restaurant company Cipriani Group (owner of Venice’s famed Harry’s Bar). Connected by a bridge to the five-star Yas Viceroy Hotel, Allure overlooks the marina and super-yachts of the Abu Dhabi Yacht Club and the race track.

The interior and lighting design are created by the team responsible for the award-winning Sound Club in Phuket, Thailand: Bangkok-based Orbit Design Studio and Inverse Lighting. This has not been a cookie-cutter approach, however. “In the Sound Club the integration of light, music and space is more prominent,” says Bernhard Bstieler, co-owner of Inverse. “Whereas in the Allure project, the neutral white interior, including the curved ceiling, acts as a white canvas, which is animated by coloured light from both architectural and entertainment lighting.”

First impressions are everything in a nightclub and at the reception guests are greeted by a three-dimensional feature wall with triangular pink, gold leaf and bronze panels. This is grazed from above with warm white light from Wever and Ducré’s 65W low-brightness adjustable tungsten halogen spotlights (with honeycomb louvre) tucked within the ceiling. In contrast, the signage is backlit with crisp, cool-white LEDs.

The experience continues with a tunnel-like space, featuring low-key lighting from pinhole downlights and concealed LED strip lights (from Neowave Technology) at the top and bottom of the wall panel. The space then opens out dramatically into the vast main bar area, with its feature illuminated ceiling. About 260 triangular-shaped panels trace the curve of the domed ceiling, visually connecting with the floor behind the DJ booth and acting as a low-resolution screen for the lighting artist. Each of the ceiling panels has customised RGB and amber LEDs (again Neowave) with DMX control that enable a series of dynamic lighting effects. The panels were specially developed with a slim profile to give the ceiling visual lightness.

Among the proposed programmed effects are a dramatic lightning strike that starts from the entrance tunnel all the way down to the DJ booth and, ambitiously, a lighting scene that will synchronise with the colour of the sunset on the marina beyond. In between the panels are narrow-beam tungsten halogen spotlights (Precision Lighting Evo R16 monopoint) and 12 moving-head fittings by Clay Paky, which provide accent lighting to the DJ booth, raised dance floor and public dance floor. VIP booths are arranged around the open seating area, with a metal-bead screen delineating the shape of the seating beneath. Above, stretched ceilings, backlit with Neowave 2,600K LED striplights, define the booths with soft, warm white light.

“The goal was to draw a young and wealthy crowd to a fairly removed part of the city. It also needed to have a real seductive quality to keep the crowd coming back for more” Simon Drogemuller, Orbit Design Studio

This contrasts with the cool colour of the glittering metal bead curtains surrounding these exclusive areas. A further element is the warm white, low-level LED strip lighting to the underside of the seating and within the step detail, which outlines the organic shape of the pods. “On the one hand, the guests can experience different levels of exclusivity, enhanced by lighting in different zones and seating arrangements, while on the other, the animated ceiling visually links these areas and allows the VJ and LJ to shift the focus around in this large open space,” Bstieler explains. The main bar area also has a pink, gold leaf and bronze feature wall. A linear LED washlight, together with Precision tungsten halogen spots, emphasise its sculptural qualities.

Concealed, low-level LED striplight follows the curve of the bar counter in the front. At the back of the bar, the bottle display is illuminated with concealed, directional, warm white light from a slot detail housing Wever & Ducré gimbal downlights (which also wash the golden front of the bar counter), contrasting with the integrated, bluish lighting from LED striplights concealed within the shelving. The outdoor seating area affords a view towards the marina and to the Formula 1 race track beyond, therefore it was important that lighting levels were kept in check so that it could be appreciated at night. Recessed, low-brightness 35W LV Bega downlights create a subtle illumination, supplemented by the soft glow of the backlit table tops. For special events, theatrical lighting will be introduced.

As with the highly competitive resort market in general, there is a perpetual need to outdo everyone else to entice the Abu Dhabi party crowd. “In my view, nightclubs now generally have a stronger interior design concept and the entertainment lighting needs to be an integrated part of the interior,” says Bstieler. “This requires a very carefully detailed lighting scheme to enhance the overall experience of the club.”

• Yas Island is the site of a US $36 billion tourism, leisure and retail development project by Aldar Properties.
• It occupies a total land area of 2,500ha, of which 1,700ha was earmarked for development.
• The island contains the Yas Marina Circuit, which has hosted the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix since 2009.
• Attractions include Warner Bros Movie World, Ferrari World, the Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi (featuring the landmark Grid Shell LED roof by Asymptote/Arup Lighting), a water park, and Yas Mall, the 300,000m2 destination retail development. Yas Island was named the world’s leading tourism project at the World Travel Awards in November 2009.

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