More than two dozen Christie 1DLP laser projectors were used to light up Qila Mubarak fortress located in the city of Patiala, India.
At night, the natural beauty of this iconic monument is brought to life using 27 Christie HS Series 1DLP laser projectors installed and commissioned by Pyramid Technologies. Architectural lighting design firm Lucent Worldwide served as the consultant of this major facade illumination project.
The projectors are fitted in Rover weatherproof IP55 enclosures throughout the Qila Mubarak complex, and the entire process was completed and commissioned over a period of three months.
Aarti Parwaney, director, Pyramid Technologies, said: “We’re very proud to be part of this unique and the first-of-its-kind architectural illumination project in India, where conventional lighting is replaced with 3D projection mapping to restore the grandeur of this magnificent fortress. The magic of the historic structures has been meticulously recreated by highlighting the ornate designs on the entrances, works of bas-relief featuring geometrical, floral and other images to bring out the nuances from surrounding surfaces through projection mapping techniques.”
Sarvdeep Basur, founder partner and principal, Lucent Worldwide, added: “Qila Mubarak is a stunningly beautiful 18th century fort with its exteriors decorated with exquisite designs that highlight exceptional Patiala-style craftsmanship. We are proud to offer our expertise in lighting design to illuminate the facade of this majestic monument to rekindle the glorious, opulent past of the Patiala kings.”
Parwaney said: “The execution team had to take special care during installation, since the building structures of Qila Mubarak are Punjab State protected monuments. Before mounting the projectors on the roof, we conducted a thorough study to ensure that the load-bearing strength to mount the projectors in their housings, as well as the solar panels for powering the set-up would not cause any damage to the structure.”
Similar care was taken to overcome challenges to the line of sight at Darbar Hall due to tree cover in certain areas, said Parwaney, adding that the angle of mapping and support structures had to be modified accordingly to avoid causing any damage to the trees in the courtyard. She noted: “These modifications helped to maintain a clear line of sight for the projectors without any shadows. The projector housing structures were also customised so that they only protrude minimally from the backdrop and assimilate with the surroundings as much as possible.”
The team’s meticulous efforts enabled them to accomplish this fascinating architectural illumination that delighted all stakeholders of this project. Parwaney added: “The results are simply astounding and they are very satisfied with the quality of the projections and reliability of the HS Series projectors. They have performed admirably to successfully recreate the magic of this glorious ancient monument.”