Battersea Power Station Cinema

Following ‘The Cinema at Selfridges’ for the same client, FDA were invited to design a new cinema in the highly prestigious and iconic Battersea Power Station redevelopment on the river Thames.

Intended to be central to the development’s cultural strategy, the 2-screen cinema is bespoke and luxurious, even offering private viewing ‘Loges’, similar to a theatre box, for the most intimate experience as well as general seating.

The customer experience is of a rich and textured environment. Lighting is soft, low and warm, shadows are deep, and harshness avoided.

Designed in collaboration with ARC Cinema Solutions and Dolby Cinema, for the larger of the two screens, every viewing and listening angle was first modelled and detailing exacted to ensure the best audience experience.

Every possible distraction from the screen was rigorously designed out, even the speakers are carefully concealed behind fabric, giving no clues of where the immense and dizzying sound comes from so nothing can diminish the audience’s sense of immersion.

 

 

SELFRIDGES CINEMA

The Cinema at Selfridges is the result of an exclusive partnership with one of London film fans’ favourite independent boutique cinema, the Olympic Studios, which has much loved locations both in Barnes and Battersea. Selfridges is the first department store in the world to install a permanent cinema.

Designed by Selfridges in-house team and FDArchitecture, it’s got three screens in total: a 70-seat main screen, a second 59-seater, and a third 28-seater, and they’re all filled with curved rows of lush, reclining Norwegian seats.

Luxury aside, the thing that makes the Olympic-operated screens great is the sound. The three-screen facility is fitted with the latest state-of-the-art sound and vision technology.

Funky bar and snack areas serve cocktails and food on demand underpinning it all for pre/post drinks.

The outside entrance on Duke Street, which has been the focus of a £300m investment and masterplan based on the never-realised ambition of its US founder Harry Gordon Selfridge to create a unified block within the Oxford Street, Orchard Street, Wigmore Street and Duke Street quadrant.