he Naço agency in Shanghai has carried out the renovation of the mythical Heng Shan cinema, the first "new China" cinema built in 1951. The renovation of this Art Deco cinematic liner was a question of completely rethinking the traffic surrounding the cinema as well as the appalling façade.
The façade is now adorned with vertical GFC lines (Glass Fiber Concrete) which have refined the building and reduced its monumental and heavy appearance, whilst a black concrete strip decoratively brings it all together and separates these lines from the ground.
The enclosed garden has been completely opened out and rethought to create a new welcoming open garden space in front of the cinema in order to connect naturally with the park situated right next to it. A renovation which is exemplary of the French agency’s international approach and its particular sensitivity for cinemas, from arthouse cinemas to Pathé multiplexes.
