AGC Design Ltd.'s Cinema Atelier: A Fusion of Creativity and Community

Unveiling the Award-Winning Design that Echoes Hong Kong's Filming Glory

The Cinema Atelier is not just a place to watch movies; it's a breeding ground for creativity. With an open-plan layout designed for multi-functional events, the space can host an art show, forum, or a gala premiere, reflecting unlimited possibilities. The design also creates an emotional attachment that recalls the local heritage, engendering a sense of belonging.

The design process was community-driven, with the challenge being to create a place that lets people have a strong sense of belonging. The designers extracted critical elements from the surroundings such as materials or day-to-day objects, together with spatial planning for an agile lifestyle to recapture the local heritage and recall past sensations. This project integrates technology, culture, art, and entertainment from the creative industry, assembling a spatial matrix that gives back to its local community and stimulates the diverse creative talent of the new and young generation.

The design was realized by extracting different materials to form an environmental synergy to the foyer activities and showcase the essence of this social and cultural space, yet creates a strong sense of Déjà vu. The open-plan foyer exposed intersecting dialogues: juxtaposing lines of directional light accents and the dissecting walls/worktops. The foyer space is highly flexible yet contains fragments of industrial memories through the mixture of raw materials and light fixtures, reminiscent of the old days of studio production and fabrication background.

The Cinema Atelier is located at the ground floor of a district mall within a residential and industrial neighborhood which contains a mix and match of contemporary features and industrial heritage. The design project started in December 2017 and was completed in January 2019 in Hong Kong. The area of the cinema is approximately 1040 sqm with 4 Houses and a total number of 422 seats.

The design was inspired by Cheung Sha Wan, a former industrial district renowned for its garment and yarn industry, which was a pioneer of a Made in Hong Kong creative spirit in the 60s. Nowadays, it is a vibrant neighborhood with a large number of traditional stores energizing the day-to-day lives of a growing and youthful community. The area is like a time capsule that retains both the industrial legacy and the communal spirit of Hong Kong. Its social fabric, intertwined between time and space, inspired the designers to create a social and entertainment platform for people to not only enjoy culture, arts, and movies but also to stimulate communal creativity.

The Cinema Atelier, a testament to AGC Design Ltd.'s innovative approach, has been recognized for its strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill. It showcases a remarkable level of excellence and introduces positive feelings, amazement, and wonder. This award-winning design is indeed a tribute to the past filming glory of Hong Kong and a platform for the future of cinematic creativity.