Architect: Carter Hughes Davies
Interior Architect: Acoustics Design Group
Main Contractor: Ken Biggs Contractors Ltd

Requirements 

The brief was to extend this large stone house, to provide ‘the best home cinema in England’, whilst at the same time being able to be easily converted back to a drawing room should the property ever be sold.

Construction

The optimum space, taking into account both acoustics and optical requirements for the specified 5m screen, required the extension externally to be of grand proportions and, due to its prominent location, it was required by the planning department to be of traditional form using natural Bath stone and sash windows.

Internally there was the opposite requirement. The cinema was to be both soundproof and light proof to the external world, to allow the architect and cinema consultants to create an environment fit for a professional cinema. The cinema was lined internally with sound absorbent linings. A timber framework then carried further acoustic linings whilst concealing speakers set around the entire room, allowing ‘slots’ only in the walls to conceal air conditioning grilles and light fittings, so they could not become a distraction during a film.

A separate electronics room houses the professional high-definition projector equipment and the sound system equipment to allow the cinema to be balanced before each performance.