Skylight Void and 360 Tour

Patrick Allan

The Mayfair Multi-Centre design aims to utilise as much existing structure of the original Mayfair Cinema building as feasible: the final combination of old and new brick, new structural I-Beams and original concrete allows for a visually diverse and intriguing aesthetic. The undersides of the two auditoriums within the design escalate towards a large “Skylight Void” space, allowing for natural light to penetrate into the plan of the building, illuminating the library, dining, and multi-use spaces. The windows surrounding these spaces also provide excellent views and access into the rear garden, designed as a central community point for future developments in the surrounding area, with the entire building acting as circulation between the high-street and the housing developments. The entrance to the Mayfair Multi-Centre on the high-street features a distortion of traditional cinema entrances, flanking overhead elements are angled up and down the high-street to attract and signify the entrance, improving upon the existing building’s ambiguous facade from years of new developments on top of one another. The angular nature also helps funnel high-street users into the design, as well as providing public information areas, used for council news and movie posters. The practice room found on the first floor has windows overlooking the high-street, with community improvement as the goal – anyone on the high-street can look up and see activities and practices ongoing in this space, bolstering community image and engagement. This ideology is also found in the council hub directly below, allowing for the hub to spill out onto the high-street with displays and events, as well as keeping the feel of the building “public” and accessible.

Use of Vertical Space
Use of Vertical Space