Renovation of Golden Sound Cinema in Guangzhou Yongqing Fang

Activation and Renewal of Neighborhoods
The Yongqing Fang Golden Sound Cinema in Guangzhou was founded in 1932, formerly known as the "GRAND THEATER". It was the first sound cinema in China. In the 1970s, watching the newest foreign movie in a grand theater with air conditioning was the most popular and luxurious form of entertainment for people in old Guangzhou. The theater was shut down in 2007, and then gradually became a dilapidated building. In 2019, the second phase of Yongqing Fang renovation was launched, and the renovation of Guangzhou Yongqing Fang Golden Sound Cinema focused on "commercial, entertainment, and cultural" aspects. The cinema is the cultural activity center of the area’s 24-hour tourism cycle.

Add color to the memory of Guangzhou city
After establishing the renewal concept, the designer established the generation of the design in three steps: the first step [preserving memory] – Golden Sound Cinema is an important page in the historical changes of Yongqing Fang on Enning Road and also a bustling memory of Xiguan culture. Therefore, the design first regards the only remaining facade of the original building as an artistic relic, and retains it for repair. Step 2 [Design "Stippling"] - Based on the preservation of the archway and the research of the collected original architectural drawings, we designed a spatial division method that fully respects the original appearance of the Golden Sound Cinema. The interior is divided into two parts: the upper and lower part; the upper part mainly carries the core cultural activity spaces, and the lower part continues the traditional commercial arcade interface of the area, creating a building that new on top and traditional on bottom. Step 3 [Four ounces can move a thousand pounds] - The original cinema space was turned into a live house where the youth gather and perform, and this modern function was displayed by modern techniques. Although the space is small, it stands out and achieves the goal of "four ounces can move a thousand pounds". Fully automatic smart-parking system: This function increases the efficiency of traditional parking garages by three times, with a garage area of 6300 square meters, solving the parking problem of nearly 300 vehicles and effectively solving the parking problem of Yongqing Fang, providing visitors with a better travel experience.

The facade of the new era
The Golden Sound Cinema in the 1970s was a popular and important cultural entertainment space in Guangzhou at that time. The stage and the curtains covering the large screen inspired the façade design. Based on the three-section partition ratio and facade rhythm of the Yongqing Archway, the new building continues the design language of the old building. The new façade uses the same modular system with modern curtain wall technology, using curved perforated panels to express the elegant and soft texture of the curtain, thus implying that exciting stories are still being told behind the curtains.

Technical implementation | Design system ensures high completion
Perforated aluminum panel system: The curved "curtain" is the most important design element of the facade, ensuring its completeness is the top priority of the facade design. The use of curved perforated aluminum plate as the basic material for the "curtain" is mature and cost-effective. We installed profile frames around the curved aluminum plate, which restricts the deformation of the aluminum plate, ensuring the overall flatness to the greatest extent; the 12.5mm wide profile edge is perfectly integrated with the aluminum plate after coloring, ensuring the firmness of the corners and avoiding thick borders. The final product is exquisite and detailed.

Lightweight entrance canopy: We have made the top of the canopy an outward sloping slope; the thickness of the canopy gradually decreases from the inside out. The main internal structure consists of trapezoidal steel beams. The structural space between the upper and lower surfaces of the canopy was made as thin as possible, with a thickness of only 80mm at the ending profile, ultimately presenting an impressive lightness.

Stone column system: the west façade of the new extension adopts a more classical colonnade façade at the bottom, which resembles the image of the original Golden Sound Cinema. To avoid polluting the wall during the later stage of stone gluing, an open stone system was adopted. We used three types of stones with different surface texture to splice together, making the columns appear slenderer and lighter while rich in texture. We also used the same types of stone to make lightweight honeycomb-reinforced panels, effectively meeting safety requirements at special parts of the building. The intersection of the stone and glass façade also presents fine detailing techniques. The mullions are hidden behind the stone panels, and the stone façade extends into the interior, thus seamlessly completing the form of the columns.

Epilogue
Nowadays, many urban renewal efforts are too intense, and there are also those that only transform without achieving the effect of renewal. The renovation of Golden Sound Cinema is a cultural landmark for Yongqing Fang; And for Guangzhou, this is an awakening and functional activation of urban memory. Inheritance is not difficult, what is difficult is to bring back the beauty of the past and mark the image of an era into history. These are the fundamental concerns and goals of this urban renewal project.

Project type: Cultural Architecture
Gross built area: 12500㎡
Materials & Brands:
1. Stone composite panels
2. Perforated aluminum panel
3. IGU

Design: DuShe Architectural Design Co., Ltd., Shanghai
Leader designer & Team: LING Kege, YUE Qiujun, JIANG Andong, LUO Danna, SANG Tian, LI Yi, SHI Yingqi
Photo credit: ZHANG Yong
Cooperative design: Guangdong Architectural Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd
Construction party: China Construction Fourth Engineering Bureau Sixth Construction Co., Ltd
Clients: Guangzhou Wanen Industrial Investment Co., Ltd