Bronze Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2025
Lawson United Cinemas Minatomirai Movie Theatres
- A' Design Award 2025 Bronze Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Lawson United Cinemas, inc
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 11,032
- Verification code 7341837C63 · Verify this award
About Lawson United Cinemas Minatomirai Movie Theatres
Lawson United Cinemas Minatomirai is a cinema complex built inside an existing commercial building in Yokohama. The venue has 12 screens, 1050 seats and an area of 4779 square meters. The Flexound Augmented Audio system is installed in every seat, so sound reaches each viewer from the headrest. Floor area limits made separate projection rooms impossible, so the projectors are placed above the visitor corridors. Spherical lighting, colored columns and patterned walls mark the corridors. A free demonstration space near the lobby lets visitors try the audio system.
Mitsuhiro Shinohara's Lawson United Cinemas Minatomirai Movie Theatres demonstrates how contemporary entertainment architecture can transform functional circulation space into a compelling threshold experience that heightens anticipation and amplifies the transition from quotidian reality into the extraordinary world of cinema. This corridor environment engages design traditions rooted in theatrical scenic design, where lighting, color, and spatial sequence orchestrate emotional preparation for performance, while simultaneously drawing upon hospitality and retail design strategies that recognize circulation as opportunity for brand storytelling and experiential engagement rather than mere utilitarian passage. The compositional achievement of this space resides in its sophisticated calibration of architectural geometry, chromatic intensity, and illumination drama, establishing a clear processional vector through one-point perspective that guides movement forward while simultaneously rewarding lateral attention through richly articulated wall surfaces that unfold as a sequence of visual incidents along the journey. The technical merit appears in the precise integration of multiple lighting typologies working in concert to sculpt space, highlight materials, provide wayfinding clarity, and establish atmospheric mood, from the recessed ceiling fixtures that pool warm light on the terrazzo flooring creating rhythmic bright zones against darker passages, to the spectacular suspended spherical luminaire at left whose delicate linear meridian structure creates an ethereal golden cage of light serving both sculptural and ambient illumination functions, to the dramatically illuminated red-orange portal at right that functions as visual beacon and chromatic punctuation. The material palette demonstrates thoughtful selection and coordination, pairing deep midnight blue and charcoal surfaces that establish nocturnal cinema-appropriate atmosphere with vivid geometric accents in cadmium red, golden amber, and warm ochre that activate the space and create memorable visual signatures, while the terrazzo-style flooring introduces granular optical texture and light-catching variation at the base plane. The thematic significance of this environment extends beyond functional corridor to encompass broader questions of how transitional spaces can be designed to shape experience and emotion, how architectural environments can communicate brand identity and values through formal language rather than explicit signage, and how the journey toward a destination can be rendered as meaningful as the destination itself through attentive spatial choreography. The work invites consideration of cinema as ritual rather than commodity, where the approach through designed threshold spaces prepares participants psychologically and emotionally for the transformative encounter with narrative and image, honoring the cultural significance of moviegoing as communal experience worthy of architectural ceremony and environmental storytelling that elevates the ordinary into the memorable.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The most distinctive feature of this cinema is the installation of the Flexound Augmented Audio system in all seats. This is a world first and one of the factors that make this cinema unique. Furthermore, this cinema is unique in that it is not being installed in a new building, but in an existing facility. Due to floor-area ratio restrictions, it is not possible to build projection rooms in every theatre, so many projectors are exposed above the customer corridors.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 12 screens, 1050 seats in total capacity, 4779sqm, Flexound Augmented Audio in all seats, Flexound technology from Finland, Construction by Taisei Corporation
- Tags
- Cinema, Cinema Complex, Movie Theatre, Flexound, Flexound Augmented Audio, Laser Projectors, Booth-less Cinema
- Production Technology
- The design was carried out under highly restrictive conditions due to the fact that it was an existing facility, including the reuse of an oval-shaped theatre, the largest theatre where the old tenant, a museum facility for experiencing the great nature of the earth, used to screen editorial works of the British "BBC EARTH".
The cinema was realised thanks to the high storey height, but the high ceilings in the corridors of the auditorium also gave it an archaeological feel, so the lighting in the corridors was darkened as much as possible to highlight the impressive spherical lighting. Vertically extending, brightly coloured design columns and striking wall finishes with patterns create a sense of the extraordinary.
The Flexound experience space in the lobby uses the same colour scheme as the guest corridor to maintain a sense of unity, while the areas with plenty of outside light are furnished with furniture and sofas that allow many people to relax, giving each space its own distinct character. - Design Challenge
- Floor space cannot be increased due to floor-area ratio restrictions, so the projectors were installed above the customer corridors, as if they were on display. The Flexound system requires wiring from dedicated amplifiers in the sound racks of each theatre to each chair, so wiring routes had to be secured in advance in the floating floor and wiring work had to be carried out in advance. The wiring had to be done in advance by securing the wiring route in the floating floor. The length of the speaker cables was nearly 10 km for the nearly 1000 seats in all 12 theatres.
With regard to the chairs, the project started with the development of this system to be installed in the chairs of a Japanese manufacturer. Furthermore, it was a very challenging project for each company, including the design of the base for the system's on/off switch to be installed in each chair. - Project Duration
- The project started in November 2022 and the cinema opens in April 2024 in Yokohama.
- Operation Flow
- Most audiences will notice the vibrations that occur in conjunction with the bass when they sit in the chairs, but the Flexound is characterised by the cinema sound that comes from the head of the chair without any discomfort at all. It sounds so natural that you may not notice it unless you know about it beforehand. However, the difference is obvious when compared to a normal chair, and you will be surprised at how clearly even the smallest whispered sounds can be heard in your ears. Surround sound is also perfectly rendered, so no matter where you are in the theatre, you will be satisfied that you are in your own special and perfect acoustic environment.
- Research
- The plan was to open a cinema complex in the Yokohama Minatomirai area, where there are already three cinema complexes with IMAX and 4DX. With restrictions on floor space and load-bearing capacity when moving into an existing commercial building, it was thought that Flexound, which has few architectural requirements and is unique in the world, would be a sufficient countermeasure. The commercial building was also very positive about attracting a cinema on the occasion of its 10-year anniversary.
- Inspiration
- Mark Is Minatomirai, which houses the cinema, is a commercial building directly connected to Minatomirai Station and has a wide range of customers. The aim was therefore to create a cinema that is accessible to people of all ages. In addition, a free demo space has been set up right outside the lobby entrance to allow a wide range of people to experience the FLEXOUND.
- Image Credits
- All Images: Toshiyuki Yano
Colors of Lawson United Cinemas Minatomirai Movie Theatres
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