Chapman Taylor, a key architect and masterplanner, has announced the opening of an eight-screen cinema complex in the Saudi capital.

Muvi Salaam Mall is the latest cinema to open as part of the Saudi-owned Muvi brand’s roll-out across the kingdom.  The 3,274-sq-m cineplex, located at Salaam Mall in the suburban Alawali area of Riyadh, can accommodate 1,045 moviegoers.

The designs for the cutting-edge cinema venues have a theme of urban downtown, with the intention of creating a dynamic, modern and innovative cinema experience, according to Chapman Taylor.

The internal spaces are characterised by an industrial, yet luxurious, material palette including timber, exposed steelwork and brickwork and an exposed concrete floor.

The internal spaces are characterised by an industrial, yet luxurious, material palette, including timber, exposed steelwork and brickwork and an exposed concrete floor. Digital LED screens and dramatic lighting installations complement the city warehouse feel, providing a strong visual identity for the developments, it adds.

Chapman Taylor was signed up in 2019 by the Muvi Cinemas, the first Saudi-owned cinema chain, to design and deliver a series of state-of-the art cinemas. The first opened in August 2019 at The Mall of Arabia, which, at that time, was the largest cinema in the kingdom. Several more are now open, including one at Mall of Dhahran (currently the largest cinema in the country by seat count) while several more are under construction, some to complete this year and more to open subsequently.

“Working for, and with, leading industry names, Chapman Taylor has decades of experience in creating state-of-the-art cinema environments which enhance moviegoers’ experience and maximise value and impact for the cinema developers,” remarks Rebecca Farmer, the Design Manager (Dubai).

A specialist in site supervision and project management, Farmer regularly acts both as technical lead and as a skilled liaison between clients and contractors on major construction projects.

She joined Chapman Taylor’s Dubai studio as a Design Manager in 2019, working on site on many of the group’s cinema projects in Saudi Arabia.

“We strive to design the best cinematic experience available, combining state-of-the-art technology with simplified functionality to create maximum value for both clients and cinemagoers,” states Farmer.