Film and architecture : archive cinema complex

Abstract

The aim of the thesis was to study the relationship between film and architecture. Qualitative research methods were employed during precedent studies. The dynamic medium of film inspired an architectural anchor, the South African film archives. The Pretoria CBD was chosen as the backdrop for the Archive Cinema Complex, surrounded by public transport, pedestrianised streets and arcades. The objective of the design was to celebrate cinema and the collective heritage embodied in film. The programme was positioned in an existing building envelope, and it was allowed to partially occupy the roofscape, becoming a display to the city. The theory informed the need to identify views early on in the design process. Movement patterns around viewpoints define the viewer’s perspective during the spatial experience. Thus allowing the spectator to become the observed. The roof provided advantageous height required for an urban visual interplay. Investigation into circulation, in and around the building, created opportunities for interaction between various role players. These include the built environment, film, user and the city of Pretoria amongst others. The programme was extrapolated along this circulation route allowing the user to navigate the building. Cinematic devices, in particular memory and mental montage, were employed to define the route. On street level various images announce the programme. The placement of the building and visual interplay of projecting screens exposes the urban dwellers to film.