Singha D’luck Cinematic Theatre

The uniqueness of a performance which integrates the illusion of projection mapping technology with the realism of stage performers is key in generating the imagination of the audiences. This sparks the ideas for the designer team to incorporate these illusion techniques to create the same effect of imagination with architecture.

Photography by © Chaovarith Poonphol

Several illusion techniques have been studied to achieve various stunning effects and the concept of ‘levitation’ was particularly discussed and studied further. It dramatically enhances the imagination of illusion by allowing the heavy theatre mass to visually float effortlessly above the ground plane. To achieve the effect of levitation, several elements including shadows, building mass seen from below and clear space or void under the mass all play an essential role to accomplish the design objective.

Photography by © Chaovarith Poonphol

Moreover, the architectural form is needed to be kept simple representing a ‘box’ for ease of visual understanding. The trick is to disguise the pre-function spaces for the theatre at ground level as a clear space or void to allow the levitating box to perceivably float above by incorporating mirror planes on both walls and ceiling which hide the structure and reflect the surroundings and sky.

Since the box is cantilevered from the main structure by 8.75 meters, steel structure is used so that visitors can perceive the reflection of the floating box’s base in greater depth which results in the size of the theatre box at 15 x 50 x 14 meters floating in the air. The reflective pond below enhances the effect of the height under the box and the lighting installed in the ceiling also helps emphasize the ceiling boundary under low light conditions.

Photography by © Chaovarith Poonphol

Taking advantage of the coastal breeze in Pattaya; furthermore, a kinetic façade is used to create another illusive effect that expresses dynamic. A specific shape of diamond pieces made of folded aluminum sheets depicting traditional Thai art are utilized for the kinetic components attached to tensioned cables. On a breezy day, these 30,000 golden diamond pieces create sparkling wave effects resembling an ocean for visitors to experience.

Project Info:
Architects: Architects 49
Location: Muang Pattaya, Thailand
Area: 16000 m²
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Chaovarith Poonphol
Manufacturers: ALPOLIC, AutoDesk, 3M, Boral, Lysaght, Nippon Paint, FAMELINE, Inno Viva, Rhinoceros, Siam Yamato, Starflex, Structural Dynamics, Trimble Navigation