Project overview

Location: Jeddah Corniche, Saudi Arabia
Project type: 800 m² luxury flagship retail store
Architect: International design studio
Yakeen scope: Custom engineered linear lighting, accent lighting, and facade lighting fixtures
Certification: SASO IECEE, G-Mark

This flagship store on Jeddah's Corniche was designed by an award-winning international architecture studio. The interior concept was minimalist and highly detailed — seamless planes of light, precise accent lighting on displays, and a facade that glows softly after dark.

The challenge was that no standard products could achieve the precise, seamless, architectural quality the design required. The architect wanted light as a material, not as a fixture.

The challenge: custom fixtures for a unique interior

From the earliest design meetings, it was clear that standard catalog products would not work for this project. The design required:

  1. Seamless linear slot diffusers. Continuous recessed linear slots in the ceiling that produced a soft, even wash of light downward, with perfectly uniform brightness along their entire length. No visible LEDs, no scallops, no hot spots.
  2. Micro-accent spotlights. Very small aperture adjustable spotlights for display cases and product shelves — small enough to disappear visually but with precise optics and excellent color quality.
  3. Custom display lighting. Integrated lighting for custom display fixtures and shelving — small, efficient, and completely integrated into the millwork.
  4. Facade linear lighting. Exterior linear fixtures for the building facade — warm white, even output, IP66 rated, with a custom profile to match the architectural detail.
  5. All certified for Saudi Arabia. SASO IECEE and G-Mark certification for every fixture type — including the custom variants.

The project was also on an extremely tight timeline — the client wanted to open in time for the summer season, giving us only a few months from initial design meeting to delivery on site.

Our engineering process

When a project requires custom fixtures, the process is different from standard specification. It is a collaborative development process between our engineering team and the design team.

Our process for custom development projects:

  1. Design intent review. We start by thoroughly understanding the design intent — not just what the fixture should look like, but what it should do. What is the quality of light? Where is it going? What role does it play in the space?
  2. Concept development. Our engineers develop 2-3 concept approaches — different optical, mechanical, and thermal solutions — and present them with pros, cons, and cost implications.
  3. Detailed design. Once a concept is selected, we develop detailed 3D CAD models, optical simulations, and thermal analyses.
  4. Prototype. We build first-article prototypes in our workshop. Fast turnaround — usually 2-4 weeks for first samples.
  5. Testing and iteration. We test the prototypes — photometrically, thermally, mechanically — and iterate based on feedback from the design team.
  6. Mockup on site. We install sample fixtures in a mockup area so the design team can see them in actual conditions.
  7. Production tooling. Once the design is finalized, we develop production tooling and set up the production line.
  8. Quality control. Custom fixtures go through the same QC process as standard products — incoming inspection, in-line testing, aging, final inspection.
  9. Certification. We handle all certification requirements — testing, documentation, and submission — so the client does not have to.

For this project, we compressed the process significantly by working in parallel — starting mechanical design while optical concepts were still being reviewed, ordering long-lead components before final sign-off, and coordinating with certification bodies early in the process.

Linear cove and slot diffusers

The ceiling was the main architectural feature — a series of recessed linear slots that ran the full length of the store, providing even, soft ambient light. The architect's requirement was that the slots appear as uniformly bright lines of light, with no visible individual LEDs, no scalloping, and no brightness variation along their length.

Our solution:

  • Custom extruded aluminum profile — designed to match the exact slot dimensions and mounting details
  • LED strip with high density — high LED count per meter, with carefully selected binning for color consistency
  • Diffuser with micro-prismatic optic — specially selected diffuser material that fully diffuses the light while maintaining high efficiency
  • End-to-end connectors — seamless joining sections that maintain uniform light across joints
  • Thermally optimized housing — designed for continuous operation at Jeddah's high ambient temperatures
  • DALI dimmable — smooth dimming down to very low levels for daytime/evening scenes

The biggest challenge was achieving perfectly uniform output across long runs. Standard LED strips have visible scalloping (bright spots at each LED, dark between them). Our solution combined high-density LEDs, a carefully chosen diffuser, and a specific distance between LED strip and diffuser — all optimized through multiple prototype iterations.

Accent lighting for display systems

The store's display systems required very small, very precise accent lighting — fixtures small enough to be nearly invisible, but with high color quality and precise beam control.

We developed a micro-spotlight specifically for this project — a 35mm diameter adjustable recessed fixture with:

  • High CRI 90+ LED with R9 > 50 (critical for accurate product color rendering)
  • Precision reflector optics with 15°, 25°, and 40° beam options
  • 355° rotation and 30° tilt adjustment
  • Low glare (deep cone reflector with proper shielding)
  • Minimal trim ring — the fixture appears as a small circle in the ceiling, not an obvious downlight
  • Custom matte white finish to match the ceiling exactly

For display shelving and casework, we developed an even smaller linear accent fixture — only 12mm wide — that could be integrated into the front edge of shelves, providing downward accent light onto merchandise without being visible from the customer's perspective.

Mockup, refinement, and production

Two rounds of mockups were essential to getting this project right. The first mockup was in our workshop — a test ceiling section with sample linear slots and accent fixtures. This allowed the design team to evaluate the quality of light, the uniformity of the linear fixtures, and the finish quality.

Based on the first mockup, we made several refinements:

  • Adjusted the diffuser material for even better uniformity
  • Fine-tuned the LED color temperature to match the design intent (we settled on 2700K)
  • Modified the accent fixture trim profile for a cleaner ceiling appearance
  • Refined the custom white finish to match the ceiling paint exactly

The second mockup was on site — a full section of the store interior with actual ceiling, walls, and display fixtures. This allowed everyone to see the lighting in context and confirm it was right before full production began.

By the time we went into production, all design decisions had been verified. There were no surprises during installation — the fixtures fit, they worked, and they looked exactly as intended.

Outcome

The store opened on schedule for the summer season and has been widely praised for its interior design. The lighting contributes to the minimalist, high-end atmosphere without drawing attention to itself — exactly as the architect intended.

Key takeaways from the project:

  1. Custom does not have to mean slow. With an efficient engineering process and parallel working, custom fixtures can be developed in weeks, not months.
  2. Mockups save time overall. Investing in mockups early prevents expensive rework later. It is always faster and cheaper to make changes to prototypes than to production fixtures on site.
  3. Local certification is essential. Custom fixtures still need local certification. Starting the certification process early prevents delays at customs and on site.
  4. Engineering collaboration makes better design. When the lighting engineer is part of the design process from the beginning, the result is better than either side could achieve alone.

This project demonstrated what engineering-led lighting can bring to a high-end retail project — fixtures that are precisely matched to the architecture, not adapted from a catalog. That is the value of working with an engineering company rather than a product supplier.