| City, Country | Dresden, Germany | |
| Year | 1996–1998 | |
| Client | UFA-Theater | |
| Architect | Coop Himmelb(l)au | |
| Services | Structural Engineering | |
| Facts | GFA: 6,174 m² | Gross volume: 53,725 m³ | |
| Awards | Europäischer Stahlbaupreis 2001 | Architekturpreis Beton 1999 | |
The cinema complex consists of a dense, earthbound concrete block and a sensational crystalline lobby, featuring the entrance to the cinemas. The crystal emerges from the cinema block and the ground and forms the event space of the lobby as a three-dimensional steel framework. Sculptures and staircases consisting of bridges and walkways shape the interior.
The crystal comprises a grillage, which is reinforced in areas of greater deformation. The construction of the load bearing structure was carried out iteratively, applying space frame software and an architectural model. The concrete block consists of two longitudinal walls, bearing the slanted ceilings of the cinema terraces. The unusual spans of 18,50 metres were carried out with beams located beneath the cinema seats, a concrete folded slab structure with slanting and ascending ceilings slabs and pre-stressed ceilings.
