Many bits of good news are kept a secret until the moment is right, and such was the case with this Lights of Vienna’s contract for a EUR90-million lighting project in the world’s largest mosque. A total of 550 gilded chandeliers, ceiling lights, wall sconces, and exterior light fittings have been manufactured and delivered, and these have then been installed in stages during the normal operation of the Sacred Mosque.
The Austrian firm can look back on an eventful corporate history, with the manufacture of lighting for the mosque in Medina proving a breakthrough moment. The “Lights of Vienna” brand was founded in the wake of this and, just a few years later, the gates of the Masjid al-Harām mosque in Mecca swung open; the company was brought on board for the Shamiya Expansion of the holy site, delivering more than 4,450 lamps.
Lights of Vienna have since been made exclusively responsible for all the illumination in Mecca. The project that has just been completed involved lamps for the Mataf area, the space around the Kaaba, and the key project figures show the dimension of the undertaking: 550 items were custom-made from top-quality stainless steel. Many of these were adorned with Arabic calligraphy and premium, hand-made glass before all were gilded with more than 200 kilos of 24-carat gold and fitted with highly efficient LED systems. The largest item was the 10m-high “Al Fath Gate Chandelier“ which has a diameter of no less than seven metres and weighs three tonnes.
It was assembled in the company’s main workshop Austria in conjunction with partner companies in Austria and Italy. All the products then underwent strict load, splash and heat-testing. Particular caution was the order of the day when it was transported; to protect the valuable but heavy goods from vibrations, bespoke wooden crates were built in which the lamps could “hover”.
Lights of Vienna manufacture bespoke, high-end light fittings for restaurants, spas, private homes and yachts, and is represented in 50 countries on five continents. This most recent contract is yet another example of the company’s special expertise in delivering large-scale, technically demanding projects.
