| Architect |
Avery
Associates Architects |
| Date Built |
1999 |
| Location |
A traffic
island on Waterloo Road |
| Description |
|
|
The British Film Institute's IMAX theatre
occupies a traffic roundabout on Waterloo
Road, not far from Waterloo railway
station. This drum-shaped glass
building is home to a 500 seat IMAX cinema
featuring a screen that is 26m x 20m and a
12,000 watt digital surround
sound-system. The architects say of
it that, "The sophistication
of the projection system is matched by
the construction technology. The site is
surrounded by traffic and with the
Waterloo and City tube line just 4
metres below the surface, the entire
upper superstructure sits on
anti-vibration bearings to prevent the
transfer of noise. The form of the
building responds to the hostile
acoustic environment too. The site is a
sunken traffic island on one of the main
routes into London and is completely
surrounded by traffic. The full height
glazed gallery not only provides an
added zone of acoustic separation but
also expresses externally the character
of the activities within." The londonarchitecture.co.uk website describes the building as resembling a giant glass gas storage tank. It adds that, "The massive glass walls allow people outside to see designs on the inside, and allow people inside to see the city moving around it." Reflecting on the role of this building and others to rehabilitate an area of London that had become a gathering place for the city's homeless, the website says that, "Within months of the theater opening, there was a renewed vibrancy, and the start of urban renewal." |
|
|
IMax
London - London, UK
 |
