Evolution Scenic CNC-routed mashrabiya entrance arch at Four Seasons Jumeirah Beach.environment.

Fabricating a Modular Ramadan Environment for Four Seasons Jumeirah Beach


For Ramadan 2022, Evolution Scenic manufactured and installed a temporary scenic environment at SUQ Restaurant within Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach. The project introduced a series of decorative architectural features throughout the restaurant, including six principal mashrabiya-style entrance arches, additional walkway arches, CNC-routed geometric screens, integrated lighting, fairy lights and branded scenic elements.


Evolution Scenic also constructed a temporary stage above the restaurant’s existing water fountain. The scenic package was manufactured from completed client drawings. Evolution Scenic’s responsibility was therefore centred on translating the supplied design into practical workshop-built structures that could be transported, installed and later removed without becoming permanent parts of the venue.


The complete installation was delivered in one day. Manufacturing from completed client drawings requires more than reproducing the visible outline of a design. The supplied forms need to be interpreted as physical assemblies. Sheet materials, framing, panel divisions, joints, access points and temporary fixing locations all need to work together without changing the intended visual proportions.


For the Four Seasons Ramadan installation, this process centred on a repeated mashrabiya arch system. The six principal arches shared a common architectural language but were positioned within different existing openings. Additional walkway arches extended the same treatment through other areas of the restaurant.


The design used a rectangular outer frame containing geometric lattice panels and a central scalloped opening. The layered arch profiles created depth around the passageway, while the surrounding routed screens produced a detailed patterned surface. The challenge was to retain this visual complexity while manufacturing the features as modular temporary scenery.

Fairy-light installation integrated across the Ramadan scenic environment at SUQ Restaurant.

Manufacturing the Six Principal Arches


Evolution Scenic fabricated six decorative entrance arches. The arches were manufactured from MR MDF, plywood and timber framing. These materials provided the combination of shaped scenic surfaces, structural support and workshop workability required for the modular assemblies.


Each unit was constructed as a freestanding scenic feature. The timber frame established the overall geometry of the unit and supported the sheet-material surfaces. Layered sections formed the scalloped inner arch, while the CNC-routed screen panels completed the outer decorative field.


The individual components needed to align accurately so that the arch appeared as one complete architectural feature rather than a collection of separate panels. Particular attention was required where the curved opening met the surrounding geometric lattice. Uneven spacing or inconsistent borders would have been visible immediately within the highly ordered pattern. The completed units were temporarily secured at the venue openings. This allowed them to remain stable during use while preserving their status as removable scenic structures.


The mashrabiya-style screen panels were manufactured using CNC routing. CNC production allowed the repeated geometric pattern to be transferred accurately from the design information to the sheet material. The process was suited to the detailed network of openings visible across the screen surfaces. Consistent cutting helped maintain the rhythm of the design across multiple panels and arch assemblies.


The routed pattern needed to achieve two objectives. First, it had to reproduce the intended decorative appearance. The geometry needed to remain sharp and balanced at close viewing distances within the restaurant. Second, each routed sheet needed to retain enough continuous material to remain practical as a scenic panel. The openings could not weaken the piece to the point that it became difficult to transport or install.


Panel edges, pattern terminations and connections to the surrounding frames therefore formed an important part of the manufacturing process. Once incorporated into the completed arch units, the routed panels created a layered surface through which the internal lighting could remain visible.

Decorative walkway portal repeating the mashrabiya language throughout the hospitality interior.

Creating Depth Through Layered Scenic Joinery


The entrance features were not flat graphic backdrops. Multiple scenic layers were used to build depth around the openings. The rectangular outer frame defined the full footprint of each installation. Geometric screen panels occupied the spaces around the doorway, while the shaped inner sections formed the scalloped arch profile. Repeated curved layers projected into the opening, giving the entrance a more substantial architectural appearance. This construction method allowed a relatively shallow temporary unit to create the impression of a deeper built form.


The visible result depended on accurate scenic joinery. Curved profiles had to remain consistent from one side of the arch to the other, and the decorative layers needed to meet without distracting gaps or misalignment. The images from the completed project show the scalloped frames positioned within geometric screen surrounds, with illumination visible through the lower lattice panels.



Additional arches were installed along the restaurant’s walkways. These features carried the principal mashrabiya language beyond the main entrances and created repetition throughout the temporary environment. Using a consistent family of arch profiles and geometric screens helped connect separate areas of the venue without relying on a single large scenic structure.


The walkway units also needed to preserve the restaurant’s circulation routes. Their size and position were therefore governed by the existing openings and available floor area. The modular construction allowed each feature to be placed within the venue while maintaining access through the centre of the arch. The additional units demonstrated how one scenic design system could be adapted across multiple architectural conditions.

Evolution Scenic illuminated arch feature installed temporarily within the Four Seasons restaurant.

Preparing for a One-Day Installation


The complete installation was delivered in one day. A programme of this duration places most of the manufacturing responsibility in the workshop. The arches could not be fabricated from raw material inside the restaurant. They needed to arrive as prepared modular units requiring only controlled assembly, placement, temporary fixing and final lighting work. The same principle applied to the fountain stage. Its timber substructure needed to be prepared so that the platform could be assembled efficiently around the existing feature.


Evolution Scenic delivered the scenic lighting associated with the installation. The principal arches incorporated internal upright lighting, positioned within the lower sections of the decorative assemblies.


The lights illuminated the routed openings and produced a visible glow through the geometric panels. This strengthened the patterned surfaces and emphasised the separation between the outer screens and the inner arch profiles. Lighting was therefore part of the physical scenic composition. The units needed to accommodate the lights, cable routes and connection points without exposing unnecessary technical components within the finished restaurant environment.


Fairy lights were installed through the wider space, extending the illuminated treatment between the individual arches and scenic features. The official project record confirms the use of internal upright lighting in the principal arches and decorative fairy lights across the dining environment.

Detailed CNC-routed patternwork forming the outer frame of a scalloped scenic portal.