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HACKNEY PICTUREHOUSE
The venue has four cinema screens, an events venue, a bar and a restaurant
very useful in understanding the design
detail involved in a project of this kind.
What were the most satisfying
aspects of the project for you
The fact that we reused a lot of the existing
spaces and materials was very pleasing. The
building was only refurbished 10 years ago and
there were a lot of things in there that were
probably quite expensive at the time and which
were still fully functional.
For example, we used all the acoustic panels
from the old concert venue and bar, wrapping
them in new acoustic fabric and putting them
into new locations – that saved a lot of money
and work, and was better than just throwing
them away. We also revamped most of the
existing bars by cladding them in a Corian covering,
and retained and extended the very good
quality slate flooring in the entrance areas.
What original architectural features
have you preserved
The old sandstone façade was very much part of the town
square, so for signage we erected lightweight mesh letters
in the window spaces, which gave the building a new identity,
while at the same time preserving its character. Inside
we liked the original concrete staircase, which added a
The Hackney Picturehouse opened in November 2011, and is the
20th venue from City Screen, which owns the Picturehouse brand.
The company’s other locations are:
Clapham Picturehouse
Gate Picturehouse, Notting Hill
Greenwich Picturehouse
Ritzy Picturehouse, Brixton
Stratford Picturehouse,
East London
The Belmont Picturehouse,
Aberdeen
Little Theatre Cinema, Bath
Duke of York’s Picturehouse,
Brighton
Abbeygate Picturehouse,
Bury St Edmunds
Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge
Cameo Picturehouse, Edinburgh
Exeter Picturehouse
Regal Picturehouse,
Henley-on-Thames
Picturehouse at FACT, Liverpool
Cinema City, Norwich
Phoenix Picturehouse, Oxford
Harbour Lights Picturehouse,
Southampton
Stratford Picturehouse,
Stratford-upon-Avon
City Screen Picturehouse, York
rough, industrial touch – so we simply cleaned it and sandblasted
it to give it a fresh new look.
What were the most challenging aspects of the job
We didn’t have all the information about the original building,
and although we did a survey at the start, we were still
discovering things as we went along. For example, what we
thought was a lightweight wall was actually structural.
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