This mission report by Delmatic was first printed in LED Skilled Evaluate (LpR) problem 115, Might/June 2026, as a part of the problem’s DALI Focus.
Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Worldwide Airport Terminal A has grow to be one of the superior airport developments ever accomplished. Measuring 742,000 sq. meters, the terminal serves as the brand new international gateway to the UAE capital and incorporates the world’s largest DALI lighting management facility. Delmatic delivered a totally built-in open protocol lighting administration system combining DALI, LON, BACnet, IP, and linked constructing applied sciences to regulate, monitor, and optimize roughly 215,000 lighting all through the power.
Challenge overview
The brand new Zayed Worldwide Airport Terminal A has an space of 742,000 sq. meters, making it one of many largest airport terminals on the planet and a very good gateway to Abu Dhabi.
The guts of the mission is the world’s largest DALI lighting management set up. The Delmatic system supplies clever site-wide lighting administration and monitoring whereas seamlessly connecting with constructing administration techniques (BMS), emergency UPS, hearth alarms, and audiovisual techniques through BACnet/IP and VFC protocols.
The ability manages and displays roughly 180,000 DALI lighting, 35,000 DALI emergency lighting, and greater than 10,000 DALI sensors, switches, and scene-setting panels, and coordinates them by 3,400 single- and multi-universe DALI management modules.
Lighting scenes and lighting ranges regulate mechanically all through the day relying on occupancy, daylight availability, and operational necessities. Revolutionary functions of DALI know-how might be discovered all through the immigration corridor, with pink and inexperienced LED indicators built-in inside the ticket gate system and mechanically managed through an interface with the airport’s immigration platform.
The airport has an Estidama 3 Pearl score, making it the very best rated airport terminal within the GCC and the most important particular person constructing to this point to obtain this certification. The mission has obtained worldwide recognition, successful first place within the infrastructure class on the 2023 DALI Awards. Moreover, this system was featured prominently in a blockbuster film. Mission: Inconceivable – Lifeless Reckoning.
Open protocol options for the world’s largest buildings
Delmatic open protocol LON, DALI and BACnet lighting administration techniques have been put in all through Zayed Worldwide Airport Terminal A, one of many largest and most technologically superior airport terminals ever constructed.
The system controls, displays and manages lighting throughout all public areas, enterprise areas, entrance of home and again of home areas, whereas seamlessly integrating with a central battery community to watch emergency lighting efficiency and battery standing in actual time.
“The Midfield Terminal Constructing was a state-of-the-art mission by way of the know-how and techniques launched for the primary time.”
— Ali Majid Al Mansoori, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Airports Firm
The world’s largest DALI facility
This lighting administration system combines DALI bus wire, broadcast and plug-in know-how with complete DALI sensors and native management gadgets, making it the most important DALI set up on the planet.
The system optimizes power efficiency by solar energy era and occupancy-based management methods. Lighting scenes had been mechanically activated based on schedules, photo voltaic occasions, occupancy detection, and daylight availability. Your complete set up was managed and monitored by a site-wide IP community utilizing refined graphical software program. Integration with different airport techniques additional improved operational effectivity and sustainability efficiency.
The system optimizes power effectivity by a classy daylight assortment technique that adjusts lighting ranges all through the day relying on real-time daylight availability and occupancy. (Picture: Dermatic)
Some of the bold lighting management tasks ever undertaken, this set up demonstrated that DALI know-how can prolong far past conventional architectural functions. This mission validated the flexibility of open protocols to help advanced mission-critical infrastructure whereas sustaining flexibility, reliability, and long-term interoperability.
linked system
Delmatic’s linked system structure permits superior power optimization by sharing occupancy and environmental knowledge with different constructing companies.
Lighting scenes mechanically regulate all through the day relying on occupancy, daylight availability, and operational necessities, with daytime scenes maximizing power effectivity. (Picture: Dermatic)
Nightfall, night and evening scenes create lovely lighting results, enhancing passenger expertise and orientation. (Picture: Dermatic)
The system supplied real-time digital views of constructing occupancy and daylight situations, permitting lighting, HVAC, and different energy-consuming companies to dynamically reply to precise utilization patterns. This built-in strategy has elevated operational effectivity throughout the terminal, decreased power consumption and improved crew consolation.
Virtually all fashionable buildings make the most of occupancy sensors for lighting management. Delmatic has prolonged the worth of those sensors by sharing occupancy data with linked constructing techniques, making certain that heating, cooling, and different companies solely function the place and when they’re wanted.
Good sensors correlate lighting ranges to occupancy and share occupancy data with linked constructing techniques to make sure heating, cooling, and different companies function solely the place and when they’re wanted. (Picture: Dermatic)
This strategy remodeled lighting management right into a useful supply of operational intelligence, serving to create a extra responsive and environment friendly constructed atmosphere.
Emergency lighting and central battery monitoring
The Delmatic system seamlessly integrates with a central battery community distributed all through the airport to watch battery efficiency and operational standing. Mix real-time battery knowledge with monitoring standing of all emergency lighting gear and drivers to create a complete emergency lighting administration platform.
With roughly 180,000 luminaires put in all through the airport, together with roughly 35,000 emergency luminaires linked to a central battery system, Dermatic repeatedly monitored lighting efficiency and operational standing all through the power. Detailed data was accessible by Delmatic’s graphical software program platform, and key efficiency indicators had been displayed on a central monitoring display screen.
The system additionally helps combined emergency lighting environments, permitting central battery techniques and self-contained emergency lighting to be examined, monitored, and managed by a single built-in platform.
Steady monitoring permits facility managers to right away establish faults, optimize upkeep actions, and help compliance with security necessities throughout airport amenities.
Decrease your influence on the atmosphere
This terminal is designed to have minimal influence on the atmosphere. Important reductions in power consumption had been achieved by climate-enabled facades, clever constructing techniques, and superior power monitoring know-how that repeatedly analyzes efficiency and identifies optimization alternatives.
The mission workforce labored carefully with Masdar, a zero-carbon metropolis, and the Masdar Institute, which additionally has a Dermatic DALI system and is adjoining to the airport.
By combining superior architectural design with clever lighting management, this mission has established a benchmark for sustainable airport improvement within the Center East.
abstract
Zayed Worldwide Airport Terminal A demonstrates the scalability and flexibility of DALI know-how on the highest stage. Because the world’s largest DALI set up, the mission will combine roughly 180,000 luminaires, 35,000 emergency luminaires, 10,000 management gadgets, and three,400 DALI management modules right into a single clever lighting administration platform.
The system goes past lighting management and seamlessly connects with constructing administration, emergency energy, hearth safety, HVAC, AV, and operational techniques, demonstrating how DALI can function the muse for a totally built-in good infrastructure. The mission serves as a benchmark for big transportation hubs all over the world, highlighting the position of open requirements in enabling operational effectivity, sustainability, flexibility and long-term future-readiness.
Challenge data
- place: abu dhabi
- measurement: 742,000 sq. meters
- Architect: KPF
- marketing consultant: Arup
- Contractor: Anel
Delmatic’s scope of labor: Design and Growth, DALI, LON, BACnet, IP, Emergency Monitoring and Testing, UPS Integration, BMS Integration, HVAC Integration, AV Integration, Load Shedding Integration, Hearth Alarm Integration, Safety System Integration, Scene Configuration, Challenge Administration, Connectivity Programs, Lifetime Help.
Supply: Delmatic, “Abu Dhabi Zayed Worldwide Airport – The World’s Largest DALI Facility”; LED Skilled Evaluate (LpR) 115, Might/June 2026DALI Focus. All pictures courtesy of Delmatic.



