The cinema is one of the more interesting building
types of the twentieth century. It gives expression to its
function as a building for public gatherings – it makes its
presence felt by a dramatic tower or exterior sign, the
roof of the auditorium rises above the surrounding
rooftops and the entrance, foyer and bars are often
separately expressed. As buildings, cinemas are easily
recognised and rarely confused with their sister building –
the theatre. Since cinemas require few windows,
designers have traditionally concentrated instead on the
manipulation of mass and surface decoration. Brickwork
is often arranged in panels, allowing a tension to be
created between the juxtaposition of horizontal and
vertical lines. Entrances are light and airy and contrast
pleasantly with the solid auditoria. In sketching such
buildings the artist should dwell upon these points in
order to learn about the design of cinemas through the
process of drawing.
CLUES TO STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS
It is a modernist maxim that buildings should give
expression to their means of construction. A search for
authenticity in architecture marks much of the twentieth
century. The trouble is that to express nothing but the
structure or construction of a building can lead to rather
dull architecture. Freehand drawing is, however, a handy
means of understanding structural arrangements.
Victorian architects such as Richard Norman Shaw used
the sketch to record the skills of medieval carpenters or
the methods employed in framing church roofs. Today
you can use the freehand drawing to analyse the
steelwork of modern structures such as Lord Foster’s
tree-like roof trusses at Stansted Airport, or the concrete
framing of a modern grain silo.
Many modern architects are more at home giving
expression to the structure, construction and servicing of
a building than to function. This is partly because the use
of a building changes fairly quickly over time and hence to
make functional expression the main aim of the design15.4 (right)
The façade of this Renaissance
church in Gaeta, Italy, creates a
grand impression to a city square.
The architect has concentrated on
the front rather than on the whole
building.
15.5 (far right)
The Barcelona Pavilion by Mies van
der Rohe seeks to occupy the space
around its edge by wings of structure
and overhanging roofs. The building,
pool and paving area are united by a
consistency of approach.
The façades of buildings 125