Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis

Recognized by its iconic and sensual composition of stacked film reels, the Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis is a pair of circular theaters in the round, with a red-carpet central plaza located between to two rotundas, with views from the island looking back towards Qingdao. The layered curved form of the Grand Theater is a reaction to the curves that surround it – the sweeping lines of the Show Theater, the “scoop” of the public plaza below, and the curved island form. Breaking from the more orthogonal resolution of the theaters, the curved forms of the exterior shell of the theatres is more sensual, with layers of glass and metal that create its ethereal quality.

Connecting the Grand Theater with the Show Theater, through an interactive ribbon of LED imbedded digital glass, create movement through art to define the primary circulation around the inside of the theater volumes, while creating a bridge over the main entry to each theater, with a roof garden above for private functions. Inside, the theater volumes are a series of nested circular forms designed with a tall open loggia around the perimeter with a ramping circulation system to acoustically isolate the theaters.