One&Only celebrates landmark hotel launch with record-breaking projection powered by Disguise

One&Only One Za’abeel, Dubai’s new luxury urban resort, opened its doors in January 2024, throwing an unforgettable three-day launch party. Central to this unforgettable celebration were the Guinness World Record-breaking projections that illuminated the two towers of One Za’abeel for three spectacular nights. Powered by Disguise’s unrivalled video playback hardware with every pixel mapped using Disguise software, these illuminations threw thrilling visuals across the complex form of the building.

The event was managed by Bureau Beatrice, who wanted to deliver a display that would capture the grandeur One&Only’s newest resort would offer to guests. They called upon MediaPro, Dubai’s leading experts in event technology, and asked them to deliver a projection that would span the sides of One Za’abeel’s two skyscrapers, as well as the cantilevered building that connected the two, over 100 metres above the ground.

For Konstantin Laptev, Video Technical Manager at MediaPro, the first step was to bring Disguise’s technology into play. The sheer size of the towers, and the complexity of including the connecting structure, meant that the team needed to consider how best to position projectors to effectively cover the entire facade.

“We were able to conduct comprehensive laser scanning across the entire area,” says Laptev. “The ability to seamlessly integrate 3D data into the Disguise Cloud platform was instrumental in facilitating meticulous planning and pre-production using Mapping Matter.”

Once the extensive laser scanning of the building’s north face had been completed, the team had only two months to create the visuals, place the necessary infrastructure, and ensure that they were ready to deliver one of the most ambitious architectural projections ever attempted. Throughout the process, though, Laptev felt confident they would be able to deliver.

On January 8th, the team were awarded three Guinness World Records for the longest projection mapping in the world, the largest architectural temporary projection mapping in the world, and the largest mesh screen projection in the world.

Using 165 Panasonic RQ35k projectors, 6 Disguise  VX 4+ media servers, and a single Disguise GX 2C media server, Laptev and his team at MediaPro were able to accomplish an unprecedented feat in architectural projection.

“It was an incredibly gratifying achievement for the MediaPro team,” Laptev says. “Such a prestigious accolade underscores our commitment to excellence, and has enhanced our brand recognition and credibility across the industry.”

For the next three nights, the video projections towered over 300 metres above Dubai, highlighting not only the opening of One&Only’s luxurious new resort, but also Bureau Beatrice and MediaPro’s capacity for jaw-dropping displays.