Fountain with foamers
Empire World, Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan

On behalf of Falcon Group, a leading company in the building sector for the Iraqi market, Forme d'Acqua implemented three outdoor fountains in the new multi-function complex called Empire World. It is located in Erbil, the historic city of Iraqi Kurdistan that represents the oldest inhabited urban settlement in the world. Falcon Group asked Forme D’Acqua to realise the fountains of the Empire Avenue, the complex’s pedestrian area, surrounded by restaurants, thanks to our competence and efficiency demonstrated in previous projects developed in the area. In one-year-long project, Forme d'Acqua realized three large tanks in line, each 28 cm deep, with foaming nozzles and colored light effects, designed and built to embellish the area and to contribute to the general well-being, releasing humidity in a very dry place and shielding traffic noises coming from the nearby road. The three fountains have a total development of 150 meters, the two smaller pools are 20 meters long, while the largest is 50 meters long and it includes a 35 meters long waterfall.

The three fountains are made of a system of 18 OASE AquaMax Eco Expert 44000, to handle 44,000 liters of water per hour each. There are 40 water nozzles, plus 3 more that create three water columns, three meters high each, in the largest tank. Each nozzle has an OASE ProfiLux LED 110/DMX/02 RGB.

During the first phase Forme d'Acqua took care of the design and construction of the plant. We placed the pools, created the technical rooms, placed and fixed the pipes and connected the power line. After that we let the area to the Kurd team to realized the concrete and waterproof the structures. In the meantime, we chose and shipped to Kurdistan the ceramic tiles for the inner part of the tanks. From Italy we also supplied the marble for the external coverings for the main pool and the water fall, inspired by the colours of desert sand and the water, making them live in harmony in our project. The inner part of the tanks are covered with porcelain aquamarine tiles, made by CE.SI. Sirone ceramics, which give a clear and transparent effect to the water, while the external covering is made of 700 slabs of Istrian stone, bush-hammered on our design by Zanet Srl. Once this phase was completed, we took care of the installation of the nozzles, pumps and lights, working above all on the programming of the WECS technological system and the WEPS software via the DMX protocol, which allow light and water games.

The construction of the filtration system was fundamental, designed and realised to cope with such a large use of water. The correct doses of Sulphuric Acid and Chlorine help to keep the water clean and clear, the acid prevents the accumulation of limestone, while chlorine acts as a disinfectant avoiding the formation of algae.

In order to further enhance the fountains, Forme d'Acqua has been commissioned, during construction, to create a mistscaping system: a series of special nozzles that spray microscopic drops of water. It makes the fountains even more impressive, especially during the evening, creating a thin fog that amplifies the effect of LED lights. During the day instead the water nebulization helps to cool the environment, giving a pleasant refreshing effect. Finally, our technicians provided the necessary training for the Empire World personnel to manage the electronic control unit of the plant and then to program the shows. Forme d'Acqua will still be able to monitor the fountains and receive notifications about possible anomalies 24/7 thanks to the remote controls installed.