THE Dubai branch of Ghesa is working on what is expected to be the largest multimedia floating fountain in saline water in the Middle East – and probably in the world – having recently completed an iconic project in Diyafa, Dubai.

Its latest project will go up in Sharjah, UAE, as part of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority’s Dh100-million ($27.25 million) project to transform Khalid Lagoon into the Al Majaz Waterfront featuring a family entertainment theme park that is expected to attract visitors from across the country and the region.

“Ghesa’s proposal for the fountain, measuring 225 m in length, was chosen on the basis of its original and high impact design,” says Carlos Gomes Pissarra, CEO of Ghesa’s Dubai branch.

Spain-headquartered Ghesa is employing some of its latest and most innovative materials and technological solutions such as 40-m-long high-definition water screens, a video projector, several laser systems and 498 underwater light projectors, which will allow the fountain to create magnificent water, sound and light multimedia shows with exclusive choreographies and fireworks.

The Diyafa fountain in Dubai ... spectacular.

The fountain will comprise a 100-m-tall geyser in a separate floating platform and more than 100 different water features, including:

• 20-m-tall cybernetic vertical jets;
• 4-m-high pulverised water clouds;
• 10-m-high water towers;
• 7-m-high turnaround jets; and
• 20-m-high vertibolic jets.

Diyafa fountain
Meanwhile, Ghesa completed work on the Diyafa fountain in May last year.

“The sculptural fountain in the shape of a boat located at Al Diyafa Street in Dubai is a tribute to the past, symbolising the traditional fishing activities of the inhabitants through water elements depicting sails and waves. The fountain, valued at Dh4.12 million ($1.12 million), has been installed in a circular tank with a diameter of 27 m at two different heights,” says Pissarra.

Ghesa was fully responsible for the design and implementation of this iconic structure, including all the related specialties such as landscaping, civil works, finishing materials and mechanical, hydraulic and electrical work. The firm is also responsible for the maintenance of the fountain.

Some of the sophisticated materials and technological solutions used in the project are:

• 90 parabolic jets to design the boat sails with a maximum height of 7.35 m;
• 35 laminar jets to simulate the waves of the sea;
• 110 turbulent jets to simulate the boat’s movement;
• 172 LED white colour projectors;
• Ultraviolet (UV) water treatment systems; and
• A directional wind speed controller.

Apart from these striking projects in the UAE, Ghesa has recently clinched a mega contract in Saudi Arabia which involves the construction of more than 180 fountains for the Princess Nora University for Women in Riyadh.

With 40 years of experience behind it, Ghesa is one of the world’s leading organisations offering turnkey services in the design, execution and installation of ornamental and cybernetic musical fountains and multimedia shows. Since 1963, the firm has installed more than 3,000 fountains all over the world including in Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, US, in addition to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Ghesa relies on a strong team of employees that includes architects, creative designers, landscape architects, engineers and programmers to execute projects using top-quality materials and exclusive (patented) equipment and state-of-the-art technology to control water, lights and sound.

The company offers a wide range of products including ornamental fountains specifically designed as a exclusive decorative element for their surroundings, cybernetic fountains provided with water, light and sound to create authentic audiovisual shows, walk-in fountains that allows the public to enter the installation, floating fountains, which permit the installation of the water elements in the sea, in lakes, and other locations, and water and art elements designed by renowned artists or by Ghesa’s team of creative talented.

“With an engineering background, Ghesa is the only company offering real turn-key solutions, from design to maintenance, using the latest technologies and solutions, reducing costs and execution time,” Pissarra says. “Our design-and-build formula gives customers greater security and profitability in the management of their projects, since there is only one firm responsible for the execution of them, from the beginning to the end. When a number of companies are involved in the design, project, supply, installation, set-up and maintenance, there can be serious problems in the management of the project, since it facilitates the dilution of responsibility and makes it difficult to pinpoint responsibilities. This leads to lost time and additional expenses when problems occur.  In the end, it is the client that suffers.”

“We can also offer the innovative concept of value engineering, whereby existing fountain projects can be re-engineered, designed and constructed at substantially lower costs,” he continues. “The purpose of value engineering is to incentivise the supplier to propose contract or project improvements, which also reduce costs without reducing product or process performance.

“Ghesa’s value engineering solution motivates developers and contractors to re-examine existing fountain projects, thereby reducing costs without jeopardising the overall quality and design features.

“The company’s approach is a unique questioning framework that analyses performance and cost to identify opportunities that optimise value.

“Based on previous projects like City of Dreams in Macao or Princess Nora in Riyadh, Ghesa has proven to reduce fountain building costs by up to 40 per cent.”

Ghesa is claimed to be the first company to develop the concept of cybernetic musical fountain in 1985 and interactive multimedia fountains in 1986. “It was also the first company to develop and install major floating fountains in Macao (150 m in length), Tunis, Tunisia and Sao Paulo, Brazil (200 m length), besides the largest multimedia fountain in Latin America located in Brasilia.

“Ghesa also designed and built the biggest fountain complex in a public park in Lima, Peru, which earned the company a Guinness Book of Records certificate,” he says.

Middle East presence
Commenting on the reason behind looking at increasing its market penetration in the Middle East, he says: “The common heritage between Spain and the Arab culture of using the water to decorate public and private spaces was one of the reasons why Ghesa started work in the region 10 years ago.

But it wasn’t until 2007 that the company finally decided to open a branch in Dubai to provide the quickest support to clients in Middle East, minimising costs and maximising quality. The potential offered by the Middle East market in terms of scale and the unique character of most of the projects was a challenge that Ghesa simply could not refuse.”

Currently, Ghesa is also present in Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, says Pissarra, who has been with Ghesa since 1991, having been responsible for markets in Portugal, Macau, Hong Kong and Brazil, before moving to Dubai in 2007.