Golden Village Multiplex Yishun 10 - Singapore (1992)
Designed by Geoff Malone International (GMI)
"The detailing of the external cladding is reminiscent of the Kirin Building in Osaka by Shin Takamatsu, with meticulously constructed junctions of stainless steel and profiled cladding juxtaposed with lighting tubes. Unlike Takamatsu's monochromatic facade, however, the colours used in Yishun 10 are predominantly red, white and silver, with "splashes" of other primary colours—all evoke the excitement and magic of "a night at the movies". Interestingly, the Kirin Building houses a film institute and cinema buffs will recall it being used for location filming of the movie Black Rain.
A central two-storey atrium has numerous restaurants arranged around its perimeter at first-storey. The automated ticket office is located in this central space. An escalator and stair-cases give access to the spacious second-storey foyer and thence to the ten individual cinemas on the third storey. A stair-lift permits access to the disabled.
In the main foyer, aside from the functional planning, the architect obviously derived much pleasure from the task of designing the sculptural sci-fi light fittings and multi-coloured fluorescent tube lighting in an otherwise slightly dimmed interior. Floor lighting beneath laminated glass blocks and multiple television monitor screens, with constantly changing images, all contribute to the "escapism" that is an integral part of a visit to the cinema.
For a brief interlude, the cinema-goer is transported out of the HDB township and the frantic rush of economic activity into a world of fantasy, glamour and enchantment. The Multiplex is "both a centripetal and a centrifugal force" in the urban landscape; it attracts patrons from a wide catchment area and projects an image of a vigorous and enterprising new town. It is ironic that, until the early 1990s, cinemas in Singapore were closing down for lack of patronage and some were being converted to churches. Now we see not only a revival of the genre, but as exemplified in the Golden Village Multiplex Yishun 10, it can create a special urban focus."
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