Red Sea Development appoints consultant to develop lighting strategy

The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), the developer behind the Red Sea mega project, appointed UK-based Cundall, an international multi-disciplinary consultancy, to develop a lighting strategy in order to become the largest certified Dark Sky Reserve in the world.

The consultancy will work with the engineering and development teams of TRSDC over a six-month period to review the existing project design and advise on possible measures to reduce light pollution, the company said in a statement on Monday.

The teams will record the baseline condition in March, surveying the existing lighting equipment and installation details on all existing assets. In addition to recording the lighting condition, sky quality measurements will be made across the destination. 

The combination of the survey information and measurements will provide a baseline condition of the quality of the existing dark skies.

Furthermore, a lighting management plan will be produced which will describe improvement works throughout the existing lighting at the destination and inform the lighting design for each of the new assets, including hotels, the airport and residential properties, the statement noted.

“Our intention is to become the first full-scale destination in the Middle East to pursue this unique accreditation, intended to safeguard the natural environment and allow guests to marvel at the beauty of the night sky,” said John Pagano, CEO, The Red Sea Development Company.

The International Dark Sky Places Program was founded in 2001 to encourage communities, parks, and protected areas around the world to preserve and protect dark sites through responsible lighting polices and public education.