Final Presentation for Cinema Project

From the first concept and sketches, I've taken the building through quite a few changes. Although the some of the main ideas and concepts remained throughout, the overall design changed drastically from the beginning. My design at mid critiques was developed further, as well as simplified to a simpler form. I could stand to simplify the building even further, however.

The main concept of breaking up the facade, and trying to relate the surrounding buildings stuck throughout the project. However, the final concentrated on only three seperate facades, instead of the multiple facades I had created early on. I developed the final idea through the process of how a film goes about telling a story. I wanted my building, since it is a movie theater, to tell a story with the same outline. There is a beginning/introduction, a middle/climax, and and end/resolution. The entry to the theater had to be bold, attractive, and inviting. I wanted to audience to be pulled into the building and want to experience the rest it has to offer. The mid section of the building houses the main purpose of the building, why people are there, which is the theaters themselves. The large cylidrical forms house two small theaters within. The idea of the forms was to try and create a "world away from the ordinary". Similarly, a film takes you somewhere out of the normal. It transports you by manipulating your senses and emotions. By placing these large forms within another form, it creates that "world within a world" feeling. The last section of the building is the resolution, it is the ending to the experience. I didn't want to just move the audience straight out of the building to the street. And I didn't want to have them go out the same way they came in. That is a boring approach since they've already experienced that space. So with that in mind, I created a small cafe that people can go to after the movie. It is a more intimate space that allows them to talk about the movie, and relax before they finish the experience of the theater. So, that's the design, I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Enjoy.

Final Presentation for Cinema Project

From the first concept and sketches, I've taken the building through quite a few changes. Although the some of the main ideas and concepts remained throughout, the overall design changed drastically from the beginning. My design at mid critiques was developed further, as well as simplified to a simpler form. I could stand to simplify the building even further, however.

The main concept of breaking up the facade, and trying to relate the surrounding buildings stuck throughout the project. However, the final concentrated on only three seperate facades, instead of the multiple facades I had created early on. I developed the final idea through the process of how a film goes about telling a story. I wanted my building, since it is a movie theater, to tell a story with the same outline. There is a beginning/introduction, a middle/climax, and and end/resolution. The entry to the theater had to be bold, attractive, and inviting. I wanted to audience to be pulled into the building and want to experience the rest it has to offer. The mid section of the building houses the main purpose of the building, why people are there, which is the theaters themselves. The large cylidrical forms house two small theaters within. The idea of the forms was to try and create a "world away from the ordinary". Similarly, a film takes you somewhere out of the normal. It transports you by manipulating your senses and emotions. By placing these large forms within another form, it creates that "world within a world" feeling. The last section of the building is the resolution, it is the ending to the experience. I didn't want to just move the audience straight out of the building to the street. And I didn't want to have them go out the same way they came in. That is a boring approach since they've already experienced that space. So with that in mind, I created a small cafe that people can go to after the movie. It is a more intimate space that allows them to talk about the movie, and relax before they finish the experience of the theater. So, that's the design, I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Enjoy.

Final Presentation for Cinema Project

From the first concept and sketches, I've taken the building through quite a few changes. Although the some of the main ideas and concepts remained throughout, the overall design changed drastically from the beginning. My design at mid critiques was developed further, as well as simplified to a simpler form. I could stand to simplify the building even further, however.

The main concept of breaking up the facade, and trying to relate the surrounding buildings stuck throughout the project. However, the final concentrated on only three seperate facades, instead of the multiple facades I had created early on. I developed the final idea through the process of how a film goes about telling a story. I wanted my building, since it is a movie theater, to tell a story with the same outline. There is a beginning/introduction, a middle/climax, and and end/resolution. The entry to the theater had to be bold, attractive, and inviting. I wanted to audience to be pulled into the building and want to experience the rest it has to offer. The mid section of the building houses the main purpose of the building, why people are there, which is the theaters themselves. The large cylidrical forms house two small theaters within. The idea of the forms was to try and create a "world away from the ordinary". Similarly, a film takes you somewhere out of the normal. It transports you by manipulating your senses and emotions. By placing these large forms within another form, it creates that "world within a world" feeling. The last section of the building is the resolution, it is the ending to the experience. I didn't want to just move the audience straight out of the building to the street. And I didn't want to have them go out the same way they came in. That is a boring approach since they've already experienced that space. So with that in mind, I created a small cafe that people can go to after the movie. It is a more intimate space that allows them to talk about the movie, and relax before they finish the experience of the theater. So, that's the design, I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Enjoy.

Final Presentation for Cinema Project

From the first concept and sketches, I've taken the building through quite a few changes. Although the some of the main ideas and concepts remained throughout, the overall design changed drastically from the beginning. My design at mid critiques was developed further, as well as simplified to a simpler form. I could stand to simplify the building even further, however.

The main concept of breaking up the facade, and trying to relate the surrounding buildings stuck throughout the project. However, the final concentrated on only three seperate facades, instead of the multiple facades I had created early on. I developed the final idea through the process of how a film goes about telling a story. I wanted my building, since it is a movie theater, to tell a story with the same outline. There is a beginning/introduction, a middle/climax, and and end/resolution. The entry to the theater had to be bold, attractive, and inviting. I wanted to audience to be pulled into the building and want to experience the rest it has to offer. The mid section of the building houses the main purpose of the building, why people are there, which is the theaters themselves. The large cylidrical forms house two small theaters within. The idea of the forms was to try and create a "world away from the ordinary". Similarly, a film takes you somewhere out of the normal. It transports you by manipulating your senses and emotions. By placing these large forms within another form, it creates that "world within a world" feeling. The last section of the building is the resolution, it is the ending to the experience. I didn't want to just move the audience straight out of the building to the street. And I didn't want to have them go out the same way they came in. That is a boring approach since they've already experienced that space. So with that in mind, I created a small cafe that people can go to after the movie. It is a more intimate space that allows them to talk about the movie, and relax before they finish the experience of the theater. So, that's the design, I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Enjoy.

Mid Project Gallery Critiques

I have officially landed on a good design. It is well planned, well thought out, and well on its way to being one of those projects that I highlight in a portfolio. I really like the way this project is turning out. I have pictures/renderings/sketches to show, so I hope you like what I've come up with!

My original concept of keeping the facade as broken as possible is still represented in this design. Its an idea that I've carried through the entire process. However, I began thinking about what the building is, and what it can be as well as represent. Focusing on the idea of a movie, I began constructing a movement, or animation, through the spaces of the building. The design concept grew from the construct of a film: Beginning or introduction, Middle or climax, and end or resolution.

With these three basic elements in place, I was able to direct the circulation of my building through a "movie." I began with the entry. A movie's introduction and start has to really sell the audience, make them want to continue to watch. The same applies to this design. The entry was crucial in attracting audiences to come watch movies here rather than another cinema in the area. I deteriorated the corner, as in early designs, and created a semi-plaza that people can congregate in. There will benches and rails to rest on.

After the entry, the guest will turn the corner to see the ticket booth with lounge area around it. From there they can either stay on the first floor and sit before the movie, or journey upstairs to the cafe preceding the movie. Friends can wait for others and have a cup of coffee as they comfortably wait for their film to begin.

The climax of the design is within the theaters themselves.

For them, I have created large cyclindrical forms to house each individual theater. The glazing towards the front of the building serves as a screen for those outside to watch the "movie" taking place inside. I took inspiration from much of Renzo Piano's work in Berlin with the Potsdamer Plaz reconstruction, which you can see to the right.

The large sphere is an inspiration for the cylindrical forms, and the large glass facade on picture two is the look I was aiming for in creating a large interior atrium of light and space.

The building comes to a resolution with a cafe leading out onto the street. Instead of sending people straight out of the building to the outside, I created a softer exit from the dark interior space of the theater. No one likes a movie that cuts abruptely to the end, it seems shortsighted and not well planned. The same goes for the design of this building. I wanted to send my audiences out by lightly letting them down from the experience of the film. Not to mention, at the cafe they can talk about the movie and what they enjoyed or not.

Sustainablity is also an issue, and the curve of the roof takes care of one of the most important issues with a large crowd in a building: ventilation.

Having the curved roof I was able to direct the flow of wind over the building into the entry tower. Acting as a chimney effect, the wind would blow through the tower, pulling the air up through the building as it exited out the other side. The mere heat of the people will also be enough to enduce stack ventilation up through the tower as well. The glazing along the front facade is no more a concern than if it were facing north instead of southwest. There is a large, 5 story building directly across the street, and the sun only directly hits a very small portion of the top glazing sections. For this, I have extended the roof slightly to protect against the direct sunlight in the summer. Most of the year, no direct sunlight will hit the face of the building below the roof line.

Here is a 3D render, using 3D Studio Max 7 and the Brazil renderer.

Initial Ideas and Concepts

The surrounding area's buildings, along with most of downtown Copenhagen, are all done in a neo-classical style, and built in the 18th Century to 19th Century. The colors of the buildings range from yellow, to blue, to red, to white, to beige. Each house is designated by either a color or a change in facade. Since all the buildings collide with eachother and do not seperate at the edges to define individual buildings, the only determining factor is either its facade design or color. With this concept in mind, a building that fills the site should not be seen as one building, but rather as multiple buildings. The site is elongated, as you can see in the sketch drawing, so a single facade along the southwest would deterierate the surrounding appeal of existing buildings. It would set it apart from the rest instead of blending in.

Another key factor is the corner of which the building sits. It is a busy corner, people constantly walking by, stopping to cross the street, and actually some walk through the existing site itself as a shortcut. Initial ideas for this consist of expanding the corner inward onto the site to create a link between the sidewalk and the people and the building. It can also be used as an area to have transition into the building instead of being met by a tall facade looming over you as you enter.

My initial concept involves using different materials and a collage of vertical and horizontal lines to differentiate the facade to the south as well as the east. An area will be reccesed into the corner facades to create an intermediate entry courtyard before you enter the main doors.

The Program

This is a relatively simple program in the fact that there are only a handful of set requirements:

--The intended use of the building is a cinema, with three viewing rooms. Two of the viewing rooms are smaller, 60 person rooms, and the third is the main room capable of holding 140 persons.

--The site is choosen, and is located on a corner in downtown Copenhagen. Five streets intersect at this location, so it is a busy corner, full of pedestrians and car traffic alike. The night life is a complete turn from the everyday scene. The traditional style, small cafes and restaurants glow with neon lights and are bussling with people as they turn into hot spots at night for a more trendy crowd. Car traffic is almost non-existent after 8 pm.

--The design must recognize the surrounding area, and more importantly recognize the lines of the adjacent buildings. It must compliment those that it lies next to, and not juxtapose itself as a single building.

With these few requirements, a more free design can be reached, but is also difficult since so many possibilities exist. There are no restrictions on materials, shape, or style. There is a building height limit of 18 meters due to the adjacent buildings heights of 17 meters. This should be an interesting challenge and I look forward to the outcome.

What This is and What I Plan to Do

This site is dedicated to a singular project, start to finish. It is intended as a reference base from which to build a portfolio of collective works to showcase online.