Guided by Light, Embraced by Breeze

At Mondeal Square, a mixed-use development designed by Blocher Blocher Architects for HN Safal, Atelier dada conceived the lighting of the entire external envelope, from the twin towers’ façades to the surrounding semi-open landscape areas, as one continuous spatial language. The vocabulary of linear light runs through the whole project with discretion, integrating into the architecture and the urban furniture as a natural extension of the elements it reveals.

A luminous thread wraps around the entire complex, creating subtle continuity between the façades, the commercial areas, and the office spaces. Continuous lines integrated into the furniture highlight the grand steps leading to the ground-floor shops, the benches in the relaxation areas, the planters, and the ground plane, gently guiding users towards the office entrances.

To reinforce the dialogue between landscape and architecture, Atelier dada proposed using palm trees as supports for light. Strategically positioned at the entrance to the commercial areas and visible from the highway, these luminous palms play a key role. As a strong symbol of local identity, they reconnect the city to its prosperous sixteenth-century past, when this species was widely present. On the commercial side, they form a visual filter that draws the eye towards the immediate landscape and softens the view of the highway for those standing near the towers. From the highway, they become majestic silhouettes, cutting through the skyline in a play of shadow against the illuminated buildings and giving the complex a striking and memorable signature.

At the rear of the towers, the streetlights initially prescribed by the client were replaced with more efficient models. Selected for their photometric performance, energy efficiency, and respect for dark skies, these fixtures line the secondary road leading to the office entrances and underground parking access. By reducing the number of light points while improving their quality and visual coherence, they contribute to the overall identity of the complex while fully meeting functional requirements.

At Mondeal Square, light extends beyond the façades alone. It becomes an ally of both architecture and landscape, transforming the entire external envelope of the project into a living and harmonious continuity.