Colosseum

Jentz • Popp • Roloff • Wiesner

CINEMAXX
Berlin

completion  1997


The "Cinemaxx Colosseum" complex is a good example of the urban and economic functional changes in Berlin from the past century to the present. Built by the Great Berlin Horse-Tramway Company in 1894, the premises accommodated the stables, smithies, harness -shops and store-chambers of the Berlin horse-tramways. In modern times, the unimposing backyard has come to be considered the last remaining example in Berlin of the early years of public transportation. Due to the rapid technological development of the following years, the stables became obsolete.

In 1924, the frontal area of the complex was rebuilt as a cinema in full accordance with the significance that cinema in the Berlin of the 1920s had achieved. Unfortunately, specific design elements of the interior have only partly been preserved; nevertheless, the outline of the hall complies with the ’twenties original. The cinema emerged unscathed from the war, but fell victim to the post war period. The original 1924 interior was totally effaced. From 1945 –1955, the bombed-out Metropol Theater was housed provisionally on the premises and only in 1957 were  they rebuilt as a cinema. The Schönhauser Allee façade was given a preservation order by the Monument Preservation Department. In 1993, the entire building complex was listed as a monument, including the old  industrial facade of the former stables.

The me di um Architekten's design-concept is based on entirely preserving the listed parts of the building of the different eras. By raising the halls up to the level above the stable facades, the preservation of the old components enabled the realization of an overall economic concept which meets today’s requirements. The cantilevered theaters above provide a new spatial boundary. The former exterior space becomes a roofed inner courtyard. The new utilization of the cinema foyer and restaurant area is defined by the morbid charm of the old brick facades. A generous glass roof allows daylight to fall on the foyer, conjuring up the former stable-yards. From here, access is gained to the various film theaters on the ground floor as well as to those on the upper floors, which can be reached via an inserted stair-element. Thus, in addition to the original theater, a further nine film-theater venues with a total of 2,716 seats will be created. Restaurants and shops anchor the cinema -complex in the neighborhood.

The interior architectonic design ties in with that of the original cinema, whose prolific interior layout always had a specific reference. This tradition is carried on by equipping foyer and individual film-theaters with colored stripes as an integrative design element.