This is a movie theater with a cafe located in Kikugawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo.

With the theme of “creating a modern and updated movie-viewing experience,” the project called for a space where people can not only see films, but also casually exchange their opinions, share information of interest beyond films, and communicate with each other by sharing context and perspectives.

Since half of the area was to be used as a theater, and since the law requires theaters to have two entrances and a 1.2-meter-wide evacuation line, the space available for communication purposes, including the cafe, was limited. Therefore, the plan was designed to draw people in from the space under the eaves facing the front street to the path leading to the theater entrance without creating boundaries. We created a layout plan that allows people to gather around the furniture. By doing so, we made it possible for people to naturally communicate with each other as people’s gathering places and flow lines intersected. The extra space created by the wide aisle allows people to move around, and meets the owner’s request that they wants to use the cafe area in any way. 

In the future, the cafe will become a place that allows for a variety of events, from commercial uses such as setting up a pop-up store to community events that create connections with the local community.