Cinema, Rüsselsheim

Within the context of the planning for the fitting out of a disused production hall, an auditorium for film presentation will be constructed, amongst other exhibition structures. The architectonic idea for the space was developed in cooperation with an agency for organising events, which is also responsible for the general idea for the fitting out. Mobile not immobile. Traditional architectural solutions were deliberately ruled out in the design: the appearance of the projection room follows the construction principles of the car building. Since there can in this case be no massive foundations, only four steel legs supportthe floating bloblike enclosure. Thus the auditorium acquires a mobile character. The enclosure,colloquially known as “the big blob”, consists for its part of a steel frame and a light synthetic shell of two layers of epoxy GRP with 15mm balsa core beams. The surface area of the shell is about 700 m2, costing about 150DM pro square metre. This epoxy shell would then be laminated on ply frames, as in boat construction. Approach to technical innovation. During planning consideration was also given to shells of metal or glued plywood, but these options were discounted on cost grounds. Additional  problems lay in the shaping of the synthetic shell and naturally in ist geometric definition. In order to establish precise geometric data for the construction, the whole structure was modelled on the computer with the programme Form Z, and then cut into sections. The two dimensional shop-drawings were completed from these sections. 

Back