White Futura: A Cinematic Marvel by Alexander Wong

Exploring the Intersection of Art, Architecture, and Cinema

White Futura, a unique cinema located in Shanghai, is the brainchild of Alexander Wong and his design team. The design was initially inspired by the White Magnolia, a symbol of Shanghai. The team abstracted and deconstructed the flower's delicate curves, morphing them into an exploded spacecraft. This key design element raises the question, "What is Natural versus what is Artificial?"

The cinema, which is the second in Shanghai designed by Alexander Wong for China Film Cinema City, embodies a series of complex concepts involving the nature of our universe. The design is characterized by curves, exploded and folded elements, all of which are giant in size. The team invented distorted spheres and bubble-like spatial caverns, creating a dynamic space that is taut with drama and powerfully futuristic.

The design team used fibreglass to create the exploded giant white magnolias in the cinema’s entrance lobby. Other materials used include white marble, Corian, golden metal, white crystal glass, stainless steel, and clear mirror. The team chose to work exclusively with pure materials devoid of textures or patterns to heighten the impact of the design as an “Abstracted Design Concept”.

The cinema, which spans 3,835 square meters, houses eight typical cinema houses and one house of 3D giant screen. It has a seating capacity of 1,356, with the number of seats against the area being 35.36%. The design process began in December 2014 and was completed in January 2016.

White Futura's design is not only about aesthetics but also about meaning. The hidden layers are profoundly provocative, intriguing, and sometimes even disturbing, which is what any good cinema should be like. The design was awarded Platinum in A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2017, recognizing its exceptional and highly innovative design that showcases unmatched professionalism and contributes to societal wellbeing.