By Theresa English, TK Architects International
June, 2015
I always enjoy the moment at the end of the previews when an exhibitor asks patrons to silence their mobile devices, my excitement stems from knowing that in the next moment the main show is going to start. While the debate regarding technology in an Auditorium continues, see TK blog CineAsia & Interactivity Report, one place technology definitely belongs is in construction and facilitating communication between the field and the designers/engineers. As Mike Cummings, TKA Principal, has noted in Future of Movie Theatres the US is home to a mature stock of theaters. Theater construction of new facilities remains strong but supporting that base of new growth are mature facilities that have aged and are ready to be reinvigorated. Renovation projects are critical to refreshing patron’s perception of a location and recapturing market share in competitive markets. These projects can be tough on the construction team due to lack of original drawings, differences in construction and mini-modifications that add up over time. Invariably renovation projects are going to contain moments of mystery that leave the team gob-smacked. “I had no idea when we opened this wall, we would find….” (fill in your experience of choice) or “the existing drawings show something completely different and that is not what we are seeing in front of us.” As an Architect having my engineers integrated into my project and in my office gives me a more expansive tool bag to address the curve balls a renovation can throw at the design and construction team. Adding technology into the kit means that resolving these mysteries utilizing creative solutions is just a click away. Occasionally, the best sleuthing really is a site visit.
Here are a few cases that have recently been cleared by my Sherlocks, ahem engineers and our construction partners.