Cinema and cultural centre
In the heart of the Lille metropolitan area, HBAAT, in association with V+, has just completed a cultural centre that stands out both for its integration into the urban context and for the generosity of its interior spaces. Here they brilliantly develop the demanding and critical work they have been carrying out for several years on the modernist imagination. The cinema is both an art form - the seventh, it is said - and the building where, as the saying goes, its magic works on an assembled crowd. We go there to see films that are also available at home with a simple click, so first and foremost to share a collective experience that begins with a reunion on the pavement, continues at the box office, on the stairs where people jostle each other, in the darkness and the murmurs of the pre-screening, and picks up again after the screening. As the crowd disperses, people linger in the foyer in front of the posters for upcoming releases, then cross the street for a nightcap and to comment on the acting and the plot. In any case, it's a stimulating way to enjoy cinema, and one that is likely to flourish at the Pont des arts, located in Marcq-en-Baroeul in the heart of the Lille metropolis. The Place Paul-Doumer is home to a brand new architectural complex comprising three screening rooms, another dedicated to festive activities and a third for rehearsals by the municipal wind band. Three rounded volumes emerge above a plinth that is almost the entire length of a shop window reflecting the lights of the city. The building lacks the abstruse monumentality of multiplexes; it doesn't look down on its neighbours - a motley collection of houses and shops that never exceed three storeys. On the contrary, it complements them without imitating them, and finds its place naturally in this neighbourhood that smells of the 1950s. The car park that stretches out in front of the building anchors it in a city-entrance landscape reminiscent of the American shopping strip. All that's missing is a big sign and a few neon lights, but soon the gable that rises above the village hall will be lit up with projections, and the town will be able to show its films on long summer evenings.
The clever interplay of volumes... The interior of the building is a clear example of the reduction to a minimum of the finishing touches that characterise their respective work. The entrance hall, the café and the two passageways that give access to the different rooms reveal a materiality that is as rustic as it is elegant. Tempered by light oak joinery, doors and railings, terrazzo and, above all, unfinished concrete take centre stage in these generous yet complex spaces. Here and there there are a few imperfections inherent in the casting of the walls, but stains and bubbles are not so much faults as happy events that bring the vertical walls to life.
The undersides of the staircases bear witness to a formwork that is as skilful as it is artisanal, something in which the masons took great pride. Bathed in natural light, the central hall distributing the three cinemas provides a transparent link between the forecourt and the garden at the heart of the block. Upstairs, it provides access to the terrace from which the public can enjoy the outdoor screenings, and leads to a large double-glazed window overlooking Place Paul-Doumer and the hustle and bustle of the city. Everything is done to ensure that spectators linger after the screening, whereas in most cinemas they are orchestrated to evacuate immediately. While the screening rooms are inevitably subject to the diktat of standards, the party room and rehearsal room are beautifully proportioned, catch the light well and benefit from some unique views over the district. The meeting of elements - walls, floors, undersurfaces, windows, etc. - The care taken by the contractors in the use of materials, such as the brick covering the façade or the breeze-block used here and there in the interiors, enhances their rusticity. Built with limited financial resources, the building has great dignity, even a certain majesty.
Valery Didelon. Extract from an article about the project published in d'A magazine No. 291, July-August 2021.
