Project Team
Design: Indyk Architects
Builder: BUILT pty ltd
Lighting: Point of View
Photography: Richard Weinstein Photography
Suppliers
Lighting Control: Dynalite
The Greater Union Cinemas launched a new branding in July 2009 called Events Cinema. The Castle Hill stand-alone Gold Class was the first new gold class cinema to open this branding, in Sydney.
The intent was to create both mystery, delight and inventiveness, elements that cinema is synonymous with. Indyk Architects worked closely with the Lighting Designers, Point of View, to integrate seamlessly the lighting effects with joinery elements and architectural features, and so enhance the mysteriousness of effect.
The form and arabesque of actual film, looped and ribboned through space became a generating force. This shaping is apparent in three-dimensional form. Space and height is divided by a strong ribbon like element that forms a bulkhead through the space defining and contrasting a 4.5metre high foyer space incorporating the Foyer Bar and Lit Pole lounge, with the 2.5m high Ribbon banquette lounge . This bulkhead is made up of vertical acrylic boxes filled with film and backlit to create what is at once, elusive, filmic and lacelike. The ribbon banquette outline is conceal lit, by continuous cold cathode neons built into the top of the joinery walls. The effect is surprising. The ribbon line invites and leads one into the Lounge areas.
The Cinema Foyer itself is defined by Panelite panels, that have a structural honeycomb form. This form digitalizes movement. The effect with moving light behind is another unusual feature of the space.
The unisex bathrooms are at once sparkling and contrasting with their use of curved white corian cubicle walls fixed to a japanese tile that reflects and suggests a lizard like skin wall.
All elements of the space have been designed by the Architects, in close working relationship with all team members
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Point of View say that as designers, one of their greatest challenges is to rise against people’s preconceptions and by doing so create, not just inviting spaces, but also lasting and unexpected experiences.
The brief for the Castle Hill Gold Class Lounge presented this challenge perfectly. They were to create an environment that would encourage patrons to linger before or after a movie.
Unlike most cinema bars, this project required the environment to replicate a ‘destination’ bar where a convivial environment would encourage socialising beyond the typical transitory experience found in most cinema foyers.
The major impediment to creating this stylish and comfortable space was the large ceiling bulkhead which cuts through the space. Related to the projection room above it was a primary imposition, but was treated as an opportunity rather than an impediment. PoV experimented with the core material of cinema, and developed a continuous light box filled with redundant film, back-lit with 2500K LED to create gold, glowing feature.
This element was such a success that it has been proposed as a signature for future “Gold class” lounges.
To continue the theme the illuminated bulkhead wraps around the central bar which is lit by six pendants modified to a gold finish to suit the lounge theme. The pendants were chosen because their abstract ribbon construction supports the film reference in the bulkhead. The bar front is further illuminated from neon mounted below the bar top.
Great care needs to be taken to visually balance space where people will be relaxing. So to reinforce the bar as the focus without competing with the surrounding features, the source in the pendants is halogen, and dimmed. The bar front neon is also dimmed.
In the tall seating area, intimacy is achieved through the use of custom designed light columns. These full height features segregate the area from the thoroughfare, and also create pockets for small groups to mix discreetly, further enhancing the feeling of a lounge bar and not a cinema foyer. Made from acrylic tubes, a metallic fabric is scrunched into the main tube, around an inner acrylic cylinder. The inner cylinder provides a clear cavity for the light to travel (up and down), and illuminate the full height. Careful detailing ensures that relacing the 50w Halogen lamp, is simple, without disassembly and without the need of specialist tools. To provide practicality to the ambience, tables are hardaccented with narrow beam halogen down lights.
The banquette seating incorporates a ribbon of neon (warm white) into the seat back, again drawing from the film reference. This source is
A private space is defined by a wrap around curtain grazed with narrow beam down lights the small area is allocated to private parties and functions. The beam lights provide enough reflected light to fill the ambient as well as the practical aspect of the lighting in this area. The illuminated curtain also creates a mid-distance feature when viewing through to the cinema destination.
The cinema foyer is lit by rear projection behind a special panel that pixellates light and imagery. The original concept was to project silhouette images of people moving around, referencing early b/w movies where images were unstable and also implying human activity behind the panels, but the equipment to achieve this and the associated production costs caused the idea to be parred back. Notwithstanding the rationalisation, the end result creates an ethereal effect that helps to construct a sense of anticipation prior to entering the theatres.
The bathrooms are equally dramatic, to suit the project ambitions of making a substantially different statement of intent, compared with other cinema bars. The primary light source in the cubicles is a custom designed light fitting and mirror element integrated into the wall divider. This single feature illuminates the face at the hand basin and is sufficient to light two cubicles. A narrow beam downlight is located to accent the corner and deliberately unbalance the space. In the central communal area, cold cathode sources are integrated into the wall to up light the ceiling and separately wash the floor. Over the vanity a narrow beam downlight pin-spots each basin. Decorative wall lights cast light patterns on the end wall as a destination view.
Control is an important element to any space but in such a dramatic space it was critical. A Dynalite control system manages the entire lounge and bathrooms. It provides automated scenes (3 scenes + cleaners mode) which are time clock controlled to suit the changing moods and activities during the day and night.
All in all the project although challenging was a success. It provided PoV with an opportunity to create a stylish, comfortable yet dramatic space which resets the standard for cinema bars.