A digital rendering of the Dubai ‘Space Fountain’. Photo: Courtesy of Space Fountain
A new space-themed fountain has been created to celebrate the UAE’s recent space missions. The attraction was developed by five Emirati creatives following the country’s Hope Probe launch to Mars in July. The group of engineers and designers have showcased their work in the hope of gaining interest from potential investors and developers, to make their concept a reality.
The group includes Emirati designers and engineers Hamad Al Nuaimi, Sadeq Al Katheri, Muna Al Aidaros, Abdulaziz Al Mheiri, and Salem Al Messabi who developed their idea of the Space Fountain following Hope Probe’s launch of the 200-day solo-journey to the Red Planet earlier this year.
The design of the fountain is similar to that of the Emirati-built Japanese H-IIA rocket that was blasted out of the Earth’s atmosphere on July 20. The main structure of the fountain, resembling the spacecraft would be 30 meters high, with water flowing below to look like steam from the rocket’s engine. “The water movement not only hides the structure inside but it also gives the illusion of the rocket being launched,” said Al Messabi, creative director at Abu Dhabi design studio InspireTBB.
The team’s desire is for their design to gain interest from potential investors and developers with the idea of the Dubai Space Fountain becoming an iconic structure in the emirate. “We want to create a national, cultural landmark that celebrates the achievements of our country in an innovative way and becomes iconic, like the Dubai Frame,” said Al Messabi.
A digital rendering of the Dubai ‘Space Fountain’. Photo: Courtesy of Space Fountain
“Our concept captures and mimics the moment the Hope Probe vehicle launcher took off,” explained Al Messabi. “We started with the idea of drawing a mural on a wall and bringing out water from the wall, with some sort of mixed art installment, painting, and waterfalls. When we started researching and developing the concept of the fountain, we discovered a couple of floating water tap fountains, like the magic tap fountain in Ypres, Belgium. This optical illusion has brought us to think bigger,” he added.
The Space Fountain design has been developed into a 3D digital rendering, created by interior designer Al Aidaros. “My role was to develop and design the 3D models of the interior, exterior design, and the rocket,” she said. “The main challenge was time because designing such heavy models takes a lot of time and we were trying to finish as many concepts as we could in a short time,” she said.
The group’s innovative design has already captured the attention of many companies across Dubai. “Most of the people who are contacting us are really excited and interested in this project,” said Sadeq Al Katheri, who is responsible for the project’s business development. “We are exploring the opportunities to include a knowledge center about the space industry,” he added.
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