ARCHITECT’S FOCUS
Fletcher Priest revamped the building’s sandstone façade by adding lightweight mesh lettering
Simple graphics in a limited colour palette were used
Having said that, we tried to avoid as much structural work as possible. Screens three and four were already built as studios so didn’t require a lot of work, while screens one and two needed substantially re-arranging. Of course, you’d always design the cinema differently if you were able to start from scratch – it was mostly a case of taking the spaces we found and inserting a cinema into them.
What did the project cost and how long did it take? It cost £3.8m altogether. Work started on site in February 2011 and was completed at the end of October 2011. As far as we’re aware, for the number of seats in the building, it’s a relatively low-cost cinema.
What was your approach to the cinema graphics and signage? The existing building looked very dated inside with lots of colours that just added to the confusion. We stripped eve- rything back and used whites and greys to create a calmer feel. We then inserted splashes of colour via the signage and super-graphics, using big numbers and a uniform font. The signs actually play a very important role in guiding peo- ple through the complicated layout of the building. This approach is also reflected on a smaller scale as the same style was used throughout for the statutory signage, seat numbers, posters, programmes and other publications.
How did you approach the design of the social spaces? We located all the bars and restaurant towards the front of the three-storey building, to make use of the big beautiful openings that overlook the town square. This means that the bars and restaurant get lots of nat-
ural light, and people on the street also get a glimpse of what is going on in the building. The restaurant on the ground floor has an excellent chef, and it’s always packed. When the weather is good, the west-facing frontage can be used to extend the seating area.
30 Read Leisure Management online
leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital
What else does the building house? On the top floor we designed the Hackney Attic – City Screen wanted to create this as an events venue in its own right. The bar hosts events several times a week, ranging from DJs to live music and comedy nights. The entire building covers 4,000sq m in total, and there
were a lot of back of house areas that were not well con- nected to the cinema space, such as the former artists’ dressing rooms. They were great spaces with balconies and lots of natural light. We have turned them into office spaces
ISSUE 2 2012 © cybertrek 2011
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