Mechanical services in the cinema

Overview

In television broadcast 21, Stephen Bayley takes the cinema as the paradigm of mechanical servicing in architecture. One particular cinema is singled out for detailed analysis: the Astoria, in Finsbury Park, London. The role of the heating and electrical plant is described in detail, which, in conjunction with the bizarre decoration, produced an emotional and physical atmosphere which was for many people their first taste of the convenience and benefits which modern architecture could bring.