tracks architectes punctures facade with rhythmic arches for cinema in france

french architecture firm tracks architectes designed a new multi-cinema project, located in the future site of the ‘jardin de la culture’ close to the historical city center of riom, france. featuring characteristic arches that puncture a concrete cube, the project includes three distinct movie theaters, with 543 seats and a conference room that holds 112 people.

tracks architectes divided the project into two intersecting volumes, that complement each other in their texture, color and proportion. the first volume borrows his height from the wall of the existing enclosure. constitutive of the existing wall, ‘volvic stone’ offers a material available to be reused as large aggregates for the concrete of the outer sails of the first low volume. treated in a darker hue, the facade is intervened and arches are cut through, showing the building behind.the facade thus marks the footprints of the new construction and reinterprets the use of local material in a contemporary way.

in an aesthetic dialogue with the dark, rough facade, a second lighter volume with complementary proportions, imposes itself as an urban landmark orchestrated by the punctured wall. a concrete white monolith makes up the building, yet holds an apparent fragility due to its succession of arches. it stands in front of the ‘jardin de la culture’ and the ‘couvent des redemptoristines’.

the facade’s strong graphic identity strengthens the fantasized image of a cloister around the large green parvis. the volumetric division opens the large gallery of the cinema hall to the outside, bringng light and people inside. the architects explain that though the facade arches, ‘the invitation is made: go through these monumental doors,’  and into the sun-bathed living space that hosts a large exhibition hall.

the generous and continuous space is extended by a covered outdoor gallery perforated by the arches. to access the movie theater, the spectator travels through a hallway, which is articulated around the conference room. this plan’s organization is inspired by the cinematic realm, having circulation paths wind around rooms and volumes.

project info:

project name: cinema de riom

architecture: tracks architectes

location: jardin de la culture, riom, france

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edited by: cristina gomez | designboom