Pathé Zwolle

Since December 2016, Zwolle has been enjoying a modern Pathé cinema. For this building, we created a design that blends transparency and movement in innovative ways.

 

In mid-2013, at Pathé’s request, we initiated a study into the possibilities for realising a cinema on the Katwolderplein square in Zwolle. This area, under development by Multi Vastgoed, offered space for a new cinema, in addition to residential buildings and a multistorey car park.

 

Between high-rise and low-rise

Katwolderplein is located in De Vogelbuurt in the Kamperpoort district, a 19th-century district with small-scale construction and old industrial properties. In recent years, the neighbourhood has undergone a radical transformation: the low-rise buildings have been partially renovated and industry has been replaced with housing.

 

The buildings on Katwolderplein form a transition between the low-rise of the neighbourhood and the large-scale downtown architecture. In consultation with developer Multi and the municipality, EUP design created a design for the urban integration of the cinema within this area.

 

Transparency and movement

Along with the car park, the cinema forms an urban mass that connects with the buildings on Katerdijk and Pannekoekdijk on the one hand, and with those on the square on the other. In a sense, the interior spaces of the cinema and the garage blend together, creating an increasingly transparent block towards the city centre. Two auditoriums are particularly eye-catching, being located half inside and half outside the building.

 

This creation of interaction between the cinema and the surrounding city is an essential element of our design. We wanted to make the movements within the cinema visible, as a contribution to the dynamic experience of city life within this remarkable environment.

 

A diverse layout

The first floor houses the cinema shop, the foyer, and the entrances to three auditoriums. In the middle of the building, right along the facade, escalators take visitors to the six other cinema rooms on the upper floors. In total, the cinema can seat approximately 1,500 people.

 

The plinth offers possibilities for catering establishments or shops, creating an attractive environment on street level. The entrance to the cinema is situated on the corner of Katerdijk and Pannekoekdijk. On the other side of the intersection is the new pedestrian bridge, connecting the area with the city centre.

 

DOK architecten created the facade design for this project: a weaving exterior characterised by white horizontal bands with red vertical brickwork pillars. The two separately positioned cinema auditoriums are finished in white glazed brickwork.