Movie House | Ioan Ralea-Toma

Status: Master Thesis Project

Author: Ioan Ralea-Toma

Visuals: Atelier Monolit

The only constant is change. As technology and film industry evolves, the holistic experience of the old theater is gone and is being replaced with the new static digital dimension, separate movie halls.

Movie display represents the final act of the cinematic industry. This process is highly dictated by public feedback, as a result of all the contributing factors. Rapid distribution of the final product on various devices allows one to watch a motion picture almost anytime, anywhere. Never in the course of history has humankind had as much possibilities in term of movie watching: tablets, notebooks, personal computers, projector, smartphones, home theatre etc. In spite of rapid technical development, the experience of going to the cinema hasn’t changed. Cinephiles are more often concerned about the final result: going out, socializing and other activities.

The „Movie House” was defined in order to favor and focus an increased effervescence of the Romanian movie industry, which lately has bloomed on the European and even international stage. The project is meant to accommodate Cluj-Napoca’s numerous film festivals. It also houses a multiplex and spaces where the film, as an art form, becomes an exhibit on itself.

The building is placed near the center of the city, in “Gheorgheni” district, one of the “greenest” residential neighborhoods in Cluj-Napoca. The major elements close to the site are the “Gheorgheni” Lake, the area’s main attraction, and a big commercial and business center. The solution for the “Film House” was conceived so that it facilitates pedestrian movement and offers people new perspectives towards the natural landscape. Also, a close relation to the water was targeted. The project has three major parts: the multiplex, the movie museum and the learning center (a mediatheque and a conference hall). 

The overall shape is meant to be an expression of dynamism and kinetics, and it was defined in a close relation with the site’s characteristics. A solid volume floats over a transparent structure.  Underneath this crystal-like atrium there is another level with the mediatheque and the conference spaces. The overall functional organization is a metaphor for movie making. It starts from underground, the learning center, and then it all ascends, goes through the movie museum, establishes references with other cultural or creative dimensions, and in the end it is assimilated by the public, the final purpose of the whole process.