Contract Magazine - January/February 2019 - 77

Going to the movies is an event-the ritual of getting popcorn, selecting the perfect
central seats that are not too close yet not too far back, and settling in excitedly to see
a much-hyped blockbuster. At Wuhan Panlong Plaza Yinxing Cinema in Wuhan, China,
the thrill of the movie-going experience is amplified by a dynamic interior designed
by Hong Kong-based One Plus Partnership Ltd.
Simplicity reigns supreme in the theater, as the design team employed
a basic color and materials palette and an expert use of light and shadow. "We wanted
to give the guests the feeling of going back to a very basic and simple world," says
Virginia Lung, a design director at One Plus. "That's why we used cement to create
various interesting architectural forms. These forms help us to illustrate how light
and shadow-the two basic film elements-can create an amazing space."

The client had few requirements for this new theater other than to create
something special within a tight schedule and limited budget. "It was with this much
freedom that we could design something truly unique and innovative," Lung says.
Elaborating on the concept behind the design scheme, Lung explains,
"We used adverse thinking by imagining the space as a cubic volume and applying
subtraction concept to shape the space. It not only emphasizes the form of the
architecture, but also combines the elements of architecture and interior design
in an interesting way."
Lights are integrated into the walls behind the acoustical panels and between
the slanted blocks of the ceilings. The illumination creates a pattern that's reflected
in the carpet. By covering the ceiling, walls, pillars, and floor in an all-gray palette
in the nine auditoriums, as well as in the corridors, the design team kept the focus
on the form and projections of the space.
"Instead of 'boxing-up' space, which would be an easy solution to hide the
[details] you do not want, we chose the difficult path of carving up the theater into
irregular forms that you could still use or see," explains Ajax Law, a design director
at One Plus.
From concept to reality, One Plus succeeded in designing a one-of-a-kind
movie-going experience by exercising restraint and relying on minimalism. "We have
illustrated that if you have a strong concept, you do not need anything too fancy to
create something interesting," Law says. "We want guests to walk through this basic
'zero space' to enjoy the movie in the theater, then go back to the reality." c

Project Credits

Selected Sources

Interior Designer One Plus
Partnership Ltd.
One Plus Partnership Ltd.
project team Ajax Law, designer director;
Virginia Lung, design director
Graphics One Plus Partnership Ltd.

Paint ICI
Laminate Formica
Drywall Burgeree
Hard flooring Carpet Concerto Ltd.
Carpet/carpet tile Carpet Concerto Ltd.;
Fuyi Acoustics
Auditorium seating Zu Design

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Contract Magazine - January/February 2019

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