Trends in Lighting | Tridonic | Mar 24, 2026

AlUla Film Residence: Where Tradition Meets Future-proof Lighting

The AlUla Film Residence is a pioneer project that stands for a sustainable and culturally rich future for the city of AlUla in Saudi Arabia. Tridonic is working closely with Lumo FZE to provide intelligent technologies for modern and aesthetically harmonious outdoor lighting. The innovative lighting solution ensures high energy efficiency, futureproofing, and a pleasant atmosphere that reflects the unique character of this prestigious project in the ancient city of AlUla.

With the AlUla Film Residence, the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) aims to position the region around the city of AlUla as a leading cultural and historical center in the Middle East. This is intended to make a significant contribution to Saudi Arabia's global reputation. The area is internationally renowned for its millennia-old, particularly well-preserved cultural heritage sites. The Film AlUla agency, founded by the RCU in 2020, has the task of establishing the city as a first-class location for international, regional, and local productions. To optimally support this goal, the AlUla Film Residence has been constructed and equipped with state-of-the-art, fully furnished accommodations, light-filled offices, and recreational areas.

Red Sea International, SA was responsible for the construction. High standards and the sustainability principles of the Saudi Arabian development program Saudi Vision 2030 had to be adhered to. A key challenge was the planning and installation of an attractive outdoor lighting system. This had to not only meet aesthetic and functional requirements but also fulfill the highest standards of sustainability and resource efficiency.

Lighting solution should emphasize the heritage feel of the city

Conventional lighting methods were not considered for the implementation. They proved unsuitable due to their limited control options and high energy consumption. A solution was needed that would create a warm, pleasant atmosphere with minimal glare while emphasizing the heritage feel of the surroundings.

The manufacturer Lumo FZE acted as lighting designer for the project and played a decisive role in the planning and delivery of all outdoor and landscape lighting for the AlUla Film Residence. Those responsible at Lumo brought Tridonic on board as a competent technology partner because they were impressed by its technical expertise and qualified support. The lighting solution comprises customized L-shaped mast lights and L-shaped bollard lights from Lumo FZE. These are equipped with LCA DALI LED drivers from Tridonic and are controlled by sceneCOM evo DA2 LCS.

Intelligent control system for optimal light management

The intelligent control system from Tridonic paves the way for optimal light management: with the help of two strategically placed Tridonic Touchpanel 8P DA2, the luminaires can be dimmed perfectly on site. The smaller bollard luminaires and the larger mast luminaires were programmed independently of each other in separate lighting scenes. This creates a pleasant atmosphere and optimizes energy management throughout the site. The integration of DALI XC repeaters improved communication and significantly extended its range. This created a scalable infrastructure that perfectly meets the long-term goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

Another advantage of Tridonic sceneCOM evo: precise control of the ambience according to the time of day and operational requirements maximizes energy efficiency. Thanks to the DALI protocol, individual luminaires can be controlled independently of each other. This increases visual comfort and minimizes power consumption in different zones. As a result, energy savings of around 90 percent can be achieved compared to conventional lighting technologies.

Lighting solution promotes cultural wealth of the region

"The AlUla Film Residence project impressively demonstrates how partnership-based collaboration and sophisticated lighting solutions can promote economic diversity, cultural richness, and Saudi Arabia's sustainability goals. The result is an aesthetically appealing, highly efficient, resource-saving, and future-proof lighting system. Its flexibility paves the way for easy adjustments, ensuring that the system can be operated efficiently even as requirements increase," explains Philipp Heindl, Vice President Global Business Development at Tridonic.

On 9 March 2026, Tridonic was awarded the international DALI Award 2026 in the Sustainability & Energy Efficiency category for this project.

About Film AlUla:

Film AlUla was established in 2020 by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) to promote AlUla as a world-class film location. The agency protects the region, which is of exceptional natural and cultural significance. Film AlUla's goal is to position the city as an attractive and cost-effective location in the global film industry. Film AlUla was recognized for its achievements at the 2024 Global Production Awards.

About Lumo FZE:

Lumo FZE specializes in the design and delivery of complete outdoor and landscape lighting solutions. With its expertise, the company meets functional requirements and enhances the aesthetics of projects that blend seamlessly with the natural environment.

About Red Sea International, SA:

Red Sea International, SA is responsible for the execution of construction works as a contractor, ensuring compliance with high standards and sustainability principles.