Three months after opening, Kino Rye has picked up a second award – this time a prestigious regional award from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). A few days before it had received a townscape award from Rye’s conservation society.
Awarding its prize, RIBA said: “An unassuming gap in the street scene at the heart of the old town of Rye leads to a pleasant sun-filled courtyard at the entrance to the Kino cinema. Vertical timber cladding and glass bring together two historic buildings to provide two auditoria, a café and associated facilities. A contemporary approach shouldn’t work here but the design team clearly has a deep understanding and respect for the existing buildings, cleverly designing auditoria to work with the landscape and being bold in its approach.
“Internally, timber boarding marks the new interventions, while white-washed walls indicate the conserved historic elements. In a pleasant change to popcorn machines, coffee and pastries can be enjoyed in a light-filled reception space before walking through a glass corridor into the steeply raked auditorium. This is an enjoyable experience made possible by fresh, understated design.”
The Kino project was instigated by a local community group Fletcher in Rye CIC, which has worked with Kino Digital and Jonathan Dunn Architects to bring a full-time cinema to the town for the first time since 1979.
Hugh Kermode, chair of the Fletcher group, commented: “A regional award is not the end either, as Kino Rye goes into the pot for the Stirling Prize – the most prestigious architectural award in the country.”
Matt Breckon, managing director of Kino Digital, said: “I am extremely proud that Kino Rye has won such a prestigious architecture award. A huge amount of thought and effort went into the building design so for that to be recognised by RIBA is fantastic and a credit to all those involved.” (Source : RIBA/Kino)