Situated in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the Beta Cinema is situated on the ground floor of an existing shopping mall.

With a spatial floorplate of 2000 square metres, the interior has been designed to appeal to millennials and this has been achieved through a combination of colour, strong geometric shapes and by referencing famous buildings of old Saigon.

Designed by Module K, the Beta Cinema concept is adventurous and daring with colour at the heart of the design.

Jade Nguyen, director of Module K explained, “We captured the iconic features of Saigon and transformed them by stripping details, condensing the basic lines and turning them into geometric shapes. Then we applied a technique of solid colour treatment, as used in graphic design and cartoons, to bring a unifying element.”

The visual impact when arriving at the cinema is indeed startling, with bold saturated colour in alternating geometric shapes at the main entrance.

Inside, there is a large central meeting hall and sitting area that incorporates a dome overhead, in Indochine green, reminiscent of the Central Post Office.

Further along, the design of the aqua coloured ticket counter references the colonnades and roof of Ben Thanh market, while the side lobby and hallways portray the alleys and street life of the city.

A circular staircase in Beta Media brand blue becomes another place to gather and is distinguished by cement tiles with oriental patterns on the floor and a flock of pigeons ‘flying’ overhead – as a tribute to the Municipal Opera House and the Paris Commune Square.

Moving up to the mezzanine level, circular and square shaped chairs provide respite for pre- and post-cinema goers and the bathroom amenities, again in strong colours, feature motifs on the walls.

Inside, the cinemas turquoise-coloured seats and orange and lemon lozenge shaped reliefs line the walls.

In all, the interior is an explosion of saturated colour that makes a statement that is daring and different.

The project is the first cinema for Module K and the practice won the commission in a competition from 30 other design firms. Of special note is the build time, just 35 days, and while the project was realised with speed it was also completed under budget.

Module K is an interior design company based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and specialises in the fusion of old and new, east and west.

Through its projects in the residential, hospitality, retail and commercial realms, the studio strives to integrate contemporary and local culture to meet Vietnamese design and current needs.

Module K also partners on projects in Vietnam with LAVA.

LAVA was founded by Chris Bosse, Tobias Wallisser and Alexander Rieck in 2007 and the practice has offices in Sydney, Stuttgart and Berlin.

Module K
modulek.com.vn

LAVA
l-a-v-a.net

Photography
Do Sy