The architecture firm Loci Anima based in Paris and New York has completed the renovation of the hemisphere-shaped cinema from 1985 with Dichroic facade in the 19th arrondissement of Paris in Parc de la Villette, France.
In December 2024, the architectural company Loci Anima, led by Françoise Raynaud, completed the renovation of La Géode and his hemispherical cinema (originally from Adrien Finesilber) for university (the owner) and Pathé Cinémas (The Concessionaire).
The IMAX screen already offered an immersive experience, but now the entire cinema has been transformed into a completely urgent environment. Before they even go in, the two -color facade wakes the guests into a world of illusion in which the sunlight seems to be cascaded through a cassade blanket.
Image with the kind permission of Loci Anima
This facade reflects the aesthetics of modern stained glass, which deals with light and reflections. The unaffmed, geometric design conjures up a monolithic stone glass effect, in which transparency and color effortlessly merge with architectural precision-a homage to the cinema itself.
The renovation was designed by Loci Anima as a multi -sensory experience that includes both the vision and taste. In addition to the confectionery area, architecture and illusion are connected to deepen visitors into a delicious dreamlike area and lead them into a spacious circular environment with light and shadow.
La Géode, which was opened by Adrien Fines silver in 1985 and is a miracle of architecture and technology, has an interior who shows a concrete structure that is shaped like a wrong mushroom. This is supported by a central column with an area of only 4 square meters.
The inclusion of a platform for the IMAX projector and another that fill the pit of the hall had to adhere to this fragile structural balance, which questions the gravity.
The addition of Loci Anima has reinforced the representation of this brutalist work of art – in the spiritual sense, a concrete cathedral – by removing all traditional elements of the cinema. In fact, the show has already started.
Image with the kind permission of Loci Anima
The visitors are invited to explore the area with a 360 ° projected image on the walls, which emphasizes the architectural heritage again by lighting.
Two panoramic lifts and an 11-meter staircase cross the building and connect the hall to the auditorium input. A foyer offers visitors the opportunity to examine the spherical structure up close. This is not for the faint of heart.
The auditorium now has a new hemispherical screen of 1,000 square meters, which is tailored to a new 4K laser projector and paired with an IMAX 6.0 sound system.
The seating capacity was reduced from 400 to 286 specially designed seats, which offer six different lawn angles for improved viewer comfort.
Before the screening even begins, visitors embark on a virtual discovery of Parc de la Villette, since the geodetic dome itself becomes a window into the outside world – one last illusion to enrich the trip.
Image with the kind permission of Loci Anima
The interior renovation of La Géode determines a flawless association between structural materials and virtual images, whereby the video mapping and the spatial sound contains until return to reality.
Image with the kind permission of Loci Anima
Image © Pierre-Louis Mabire
Floor plan
Floor plan
Floor plan
Floor plan
Floor plan
Floor plan
Section
Section section
Structural plans, floors created
Loci Anima, which was founded by Françoise Raynaud in 2005, is a studio that specializes in architecture, design and urban planning. The studio directed by Jonathan Thornhill and Housing 25 Architects is located near the Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre and also has an office in New York.
Project facts
Project name: Geode
Architect: Local life
Program: Hemispheric and immersive cinema, event room
Surface: 3,000 m2
Open: December 2024
Total construction time: 24 months
Project owner: Pathé Cinemas
Owner: Inability
Main architect: Françoise Raynaud
Project manager: Xavier Maunoury & Vincent Laplante
Construction project director: Halima Temam
Standard assistant: Elie François
Civil engineering: Khephrene Engineering
Facade Engineering: Bollinger Grohmann
Liquid technology: Engineering viola
Economist: Axio
Acoustician: Peak
Security consultant: Studio Fahrenheit
Lighting designer: 8'18 '' '
Video mapping & sound: Moment factory
Construction project coordinator: Batscop
All images © Adrien Dastasten, unless otherwise stated.
All drawings © Loci Anima.
> About Loci Anima
cinema
cultural building
Françoise Raynaud
Local life