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Cinema and Significance of Architectural Design In It

Conference Paper · March 2017

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Cinema and Significance of Architectural Design In It
Reza Aalaeifar*
Department of Architectural design, Islamic Azad University, Khomein, Iran

Abstract
Some facts are getting difficult due to the changes in urbanization and urban planning
fundamentals in new towns, especially in major cities ,some of which include finding the
reason of rides’ traffic dominance, separation of working and leisure time, the separation
from nature, making balance in human-environment relations, and removing
environmental-mental needs. Planning for open space development, environmental
beautification and arranging leisure activities are issues included in passing leisure time.
According to some prospective sociologists, significance of leisure in new urban society
is to the extent that it is remembered as the fourth part of human activity after agriculture,
industry and services, and it is known as the characteristic of coming communities.
Among many facilities that provide a bed required for human leisure is cinema. It is the
place that becomes a good place for human assembly and formation of human relations
by providing tools to create architectural spaces for recreation, providing art and many
other services. So in this article, the importance of space development and architectural
design of movies has been discussed as an important place for leisure and providing other
social and economic services.

Key words: Cinema Design; the Relationship of Art and Culture to Architecture;
Leisure time; Architectural Design of The Cinema
1. Introduction
Significance of leisure in new urban society is to the extent that it is remembered as
the fourth part of human activity after agriculture, industry and services, and it is known
as the characteristic of coming communities. It can be inferred that the issue of leisure
and planning for it, could be beyond the planning for recreation, sport or hobby. This is
why in the new literature related to the leisure, the terms “leisure culture“ and " leisure
society “and " leisure city " are spoken. From this perspective, the aims and objectives
of urban development get much deeper and wider and more attention to concepts of
recreation, and leisure needs is essential in terms of planning, design and urban
management.
Among many facilities that provide bed required for human leisure is cinema. It is
the place that changes into a good place for human assembly and formation of human
relations by providing tools to create architectural spaces for recreation, providing art
and many other services. So, space development and architectural design of movies are
important and considerable subjects since cinema is as an important place for leisure
and for providing other social and economic services.

2. Goal and Research Plan

In this paper, at first, the importance of cinema is investigated as a comprehensive
bed for people leisure time and forming relationships and socioeconomic events. Then,
the relationship between cinema and architectural design in it will also be discussed as
well as the influence of architecture and cinema on achieving goals and excellence of
recreational, artistic, economic and service activities.

3. Cinema and Significance of Architectural Design in It

Working is no longer considered as the absolute social and moral value from the
perspective of social thinkers like Russell, on the contrary, it is the leisure time that
forms the final aim, and working is merely a mean to achieve it. It can be inferred that
the issue of leisure and planning for it, could be beyond the planning for recreation,
sport or hobby. This is why in the new literature related to the leisure, the terms of
“leisure culture”, “leisure society” and “leisure city” are spoken. From this perspective,
the aims and objectives of urban development get much deeper and wider, and more
attention becomes essential to concepts of recreation and leisure needs in terms of
planning, design and urban management (Krause and Petro 2003).
Artists are the largest and the most powerful class culture in the society. They
display untold and pain in the shape of concept with the help of their art. Today, movies
are one of the most important, productive and cultural-recreational institutions available
in the community. In this area, artists reflect their messages quite clear in the society by
constructing and screening their films.
 Objections, training, documentation, and many other things displayed on the cinema
screen have devastating impact on public opinion. Therefore, as a step towards
strengthening the industry, movies building should be designed by use of architectural
art to be characterized properly, in the hope that the body and equipment of building
will attract commons attention. The next step is of an artist who is responsible for the
production and culture reflection on cinema screens which will enrich people's leisure
and also will describe cultural thoughts and values.

4. Case Study
This study shows the important factors affecting the place which is going to be used
as a Cinema. Study has been performed in Arak city in Iran. The case study has been
considered to be in a commercial-Official place which leads to Sardaran Square from
the north, Maskan region from the south, Khorram street from the west and Hepco
square from the east as it could be seen in figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1, 2. Site survey which is considered for this study

4. Requirements of Cinema Architectural Design
In this section, the requirements of architectural design of a cinema are evaluated in
following four performance areas (Bloom 2003):
1- Cultural - artistic
2- Leisureliness
3- Administrative
4- Services

4.1. Cultural - artistic functional area

4.1.1. Theater
Among important parameters of a movie structure to provide cultural and artistic
products properly, is a standard theater that should be designed according to these
standards mentioned below.
- view distances: It means the minimum and maximum view distance regarding to
the audience eyes’ distance located between the first and the last row up to the screen or
to the middle of curved curtains.
- view Angles
- Radiation angles and projector distance from screen
- Audience Seat:
The bottom of seats, when folded, should have the ability to absorb sounds. In
cinema theaters, each chair should be specified just for one person. The use of multiple
seats or benches etc. is prohibited in the theater.
Use of seats without rear or without handles is prohibited in movie theaters.
The seats could be chosen from foldable ones, or from fixed ones.
All seats in movie theaters must be firmly attached to the ground, otherwise, every 8
seats should be attached together, and connecting the seats should be such that vibration
of a seat does not transfer to other seats.
If the theater slope is such that makes a short wall at the back of chairs, connecting
them to this wall is permitted.
The Chairs must have arms; they should not head away from the floor of chair when
placed vertical.
If the slope of hallway is so that the rear height of chairs is lower than 60 cm
compared to the floor of back row hallway, a tilt should be installed (at least 60 cm
height) at the back of chairs.
Materials used in the seats should be resistant, washable, and non-flammable; in
terms of acoustic, sound absorption should not be dependent on the presence or absence
of spectators.
Kids’ theater seating chairs follow general rules about chairs.
Outdoor (open- air) theaters’ chairs must be resistant to atmospheric elements.
 It is better that, floor and back of seats be moveable in outdoor theaters.
In theaters that might be used for the festival, a number of seats in a separate section,
shall be equipped with handles for writing, light focused on it, and earphones to hear the
different languages in spoken-films.
All seats in the theater should be numbered.
Corridors layout should be done according to the hallway entrance and exit, and also
easy passage of audience in the hall. Corridors distance from each other is determined
according to the maximum number of seats in a row and the maximum number of rows
between two corridors.
Corridor layout is better to be such that occupy at least the lowest level from levels
that good visibility to the screen is possible from them.
Corridors of the theater may not have a closed end, and should end to an exit door or
an open space in front of the hall or another corridor. Corridors of the theater can end to
narrow corridors along walls.
If because of the slope of the floor, a bump is to be considered at the back of seats,
the distance required to cross the rows is the distance between bump and edge of seat,
this distance is measured between the two vertical lines from drawing edges to the
bump.
There should not be any height difference in corridors between the rows of seats at
the theater.
There should not be any steps at aisles junction between rows of seats and theater
aisles.
In theaters used for handicapped on wheelchairs, wheelchairs should be placed in
such a way that does not block the aisle between rows of seats.
In theaters used for handicapped on wheelchair, wheelchairs location must be the
closest place to the theater entrance to allow disabled exit from entrance of the theater.
In theaters used for handicapped on wheelchair, there should not exist any stair in
the path to the location of wheelchairs.
The Minimum level to deploy wheelchair in theater is 160*80 centimeters. This
place should be perfectly horizontal.
- entrances and exits:
Entrances of the theater must be separated from its exits.
It is better that theater entrances are fully in sight of the people in the theater. This
point is influential in location as well as the view design of these entrances.
The width of the entrance doors should be at least half of the sum of required exit
doors for theater.
Theater entrances should be designed in such a way that could act as exit doors in
emergency. To operate this, doors should have the same features of exit doors.
Theater entrance should be designed in such a way that prevent light and voice to
the theater.
 The number of theater exit doors is determined according to the minimum and
maximum dimensions of the doors.
Only when all of the following characteristics are presented in a theater, existence of
just one exit door is allowed for hallway:
A- Capacity of hall is not more than 100 people.
B- The exit place without stepping is connected to the outside space.
C- The distance of the farthest seat from exit door does not exceed 7.5 meters.
D- The walls and ceiling and curtain material are non-flammable.
E- The hall has not a stage usable for the theater.
If a movie hall has minimum number of required exit doors i.e. two doors, none of
them should be less than half the minimum calculated based on the capacity. If there are
3 doors or more, by blocking each of these paths (probable at firing) width of sum of
remained paths shall never be less than half the minimum calculated.
The exit door width should never be smaller than the calculated minimum width of
the corridor that leads to it.
If several hallways come together at the exit door, the width of the door should be
calculated for total population exiting through those corridors.
It is better that exit doors be placed as much as possible at the end of longitudinal or
transverse corridors of hall.
Recommendation: The exit should be exposed at audience view as much as possible.
Theater exits should never be placed close together, but must be located on either
side of the hall as possible.
If exits are more than two, at least one exit shall be away from the rest. In this case,
sets of exits that are next to each other are considered a single exit and a single exit
width should not be calculated more than 50% of the population in hall.
The minimum distance between two exits is 5 meters, and if the distance is less than
this it is considered one exit unit.
Entrance and exit doors should be at the same level of hall floor.
Double doors used in the theater should be equal. Unequal Double doors are not
used in the theater.
Single doors should not be used at the entrance or exit doors of theater.
Since all doors including entrance and exit doors are considered as exit doors in
emergency, they should always open outwardly (Arnold 2005).
Use of some kinds of doors are prohibited in the theater such as two-sided doors,
sliding doors , folding doors, hinge doors or climbing doors, spinning doors without
central axis, the central pop-up doors, three or four sided doors or more.
When exit doors are open, they must completely sleep on the wall, doorway or
hallway wall and not block the path. When exit aisle width is the minimum required, the
following must be observed:
 A- When the exit door opens into doorway, opened doors width is not greater
than the depth of the doorway so that reduce the corridor width.
B- When opened doors lay on the corridor walls, they should be embedded in
the wall in such a way that thickness of the door is not ahead of corridor walls and not
reduce the width of the corridor.
Theater doors should not have locks.
Interior handles of theater doors can be from conventional unlocked ones, but the
best handles are those which open up the door by the pressure of crowd. These handles
are horizontal and located within all width of the door, and door will be open by
pressing it down (Duprey 1924).
Handles should be located at 100 cm above the ground.
The fastener of second door in double doors is just one installed above the door
behalf the hall. It should not be of central type and not be installed in door thickness but
on the door behalf of the auditorium to be readily visible.
It is better that doors include force fixatives. Fixatives will fix the door by a
pressure on them.
Doors of the theater should not make sound when opening and closing.
Entrance and exits of the theater must have a board on which the words "entry” or "
exit" are written. These boards should have lights installed on top of or next to the door.
Height of board installation should not be less than 220 cm and more than 300 cm.
Light of Entrance and exits boards should remain on during the show. These lights
must also feed from safety lighting system of cinema.
The words “enter " or " exit" written on the boards must be legible and clear and
letters at a height that are readable from a distance of 30 meters. The signs must also be
pictured for illiterates.
Doors’ boards should be visible to the audience (Ashton and Irey 1972). If entry or
exit door were in an invisible position, in addition to the board above them, a board that
specifies the directions must also be installed in the hall.
Any door that is not used by the public should sign the “private door" and “no exit "
are installed on it.
Theater doors should be made firmly in a way that will prevent entry of light and
sound into hall.
Doors of theater not to be in front of the fire, at least for half an hour. Also,
Components and doors should not lose their strength in this time.

4.1.2. Waiting hallway (foyer)

Each cinema must have a foyer for audience assembly before film show. This room
can be a single unit in one place or divided and located in some parts of the building
(Burris-Meyer and Cole 1975).
 If a few movies with separate entrances be constructed in a single ground, there
should be a foyer for every cinema.
Constructing multiple foyers with no connection to each other is permitted; they
split into different entrances of a cinema and connect to a unit display space.
If a cinema has several theaters, the cinema’s foyer can be set as a single building, or
divided in several parts of the building according to the discretion of the designer and
the constructor.
The foyer of outdoor cinema can be either open or closed. There is no need to build
foyer for outdoor theaters within parks.
Environmental quality inside the foyer is extremely important in cinema
performance and is considered as characteristics of each cinema. So, it should be so that
attract the audience and bring physical and mental comfort for them.
Some activities are permitted in the theater hallway such as, selling cold foods and
drinks, selling cinema publications and advertising about upcoming movies and
presentation of pictures related to the movie and cinema. Other activities in the hall,
permanent or temporary, is subject to approval by the commission. These activities
should not be risky or noisy, produce smoke, odors and other pollutants.
In calculating the foyer area, some parts should not be taken into account including
buffet and dining areas, corridors that branch off from foyer but have no way to
theaters, pavilions, fountain ,statues , flower beds and generally elements that occupy
the surface and do not allow to stand. Stairs area which is not independent can be a part
of foyer area. Corridors that go through the theater are a part of foyer provided that their
width is not less than 4 meters.
Calculating the theater foyer areas that are provided for children and teenagers, also
follow public cinemas rules.
Calculating the foyer area in theaters with two halls and unequal capacity is based
on the crowd in larger hall. If the capacity is equal, the capacity of each of the halls is
the basis of calculation. Calculating the foyer area in theaters with three halls and
unequal capacities is based on the total capacity of the two smaller halls or the large hall
capacity, whichever that is greater.
If the capacity of three halls is equal, the basis of calculation is the capacity of two
halls together. Calculating the foyer area in cinemas with more than three theaters is
done by supervisory commission based on showing schedule at various halls and the
maximum amount of people gathered in the hallway of the cinema.
Calculating the foyer (hallway) area at open cinemas (whether foyer is open or
closed) follows the rule determined about ordinary cinemas.
If open-air cinema is built on the roof or adjacent to a made cinema and it takes the
advantage of mentioned theater foyer for spectators gathering, it follows the rules
determined about multi-hallway cinemas.
 Every foyer besides having a cinema entrance, that is considered to be as an exit in
emergency, should contain an emergency exit door as well. This emergency exit must
be distant from cinema entrance and directly connect to open space or open to a channel
that meets the criteria for safe exit paths. Connection of emergency channel to hall exit
path is permitted; if such a relationship, the crowd entry from linkage hall should also
be considered in calculating the width of the exit route (Borden, Kerr et al. 2002).
Crowd of the foyer is equal to theater capacity.
There should be natural ventilation in all foyers, using natural light is recommended
for hall lighting and also for outside view.
The foyer should be covered by durable non-slip washable material. The overall
composition of the material in the foyer should be done according to the acoustics
issues to reduce unwanted sound by the mass of spectators. The materials must be non-
flammable.
In every foyer, location of other areas of cinema particularly emergency exits and
theater must be marked using visual symptoms and also clearly and legibly written
words.
At least one phone device and cooling water is available in each foyer.

4.1.3. Projector room and its accessories

Each cinema must have a closed space to establish play equipment and sound
projection. This space should be designed for at least 2 projectors (preferably three
projectors). Sound amplifiers and inversion tables and film reviewer are placed in
projector room.
Devices like rectifier, electric main panel of projector room, salon light dimers and
metal shelves for video storing can be stored inside the projector box or in the
independent spaces associated with mentioned space.
Existence of a small room is necessary for batteries storage specified for safety
lighting of cinema and toilet next to the projector room.
It is better to have a place for projector director to take rest. This place should be
established where the person responsible for the projector be aware of the projection
room events and devices function during rest.
It’s better that electronic voice communication of projector room, as an important
center in theater spaces, to be established with other important spaces (Manager Room,
theater, office box and foyer).
Terms of projector room in open air movies is the same as terms determined for
ordinary movies.
In multi-theater movies, use of a common projector room for a number of salons is
permitted.
Projector room characteristics in movie theaters that use back projection system
follow the criteria provided for projector room with normal system of direct radiation. If
 a mirror is used in back projection system, the area and layout of projector room will be
set according to the presence of mirror (or mirrors).
Projector room dimensions should be considered according to the projector size
(about 100*60 cm) and their distance from back wall, with wall and sidle projectors,
film review table and film inversion table (each one about 120*8 cm) and voice
amplifier devices. In these calculations some factors should be regarded such as,
dimensions of the electrical cabinet and rectifiers or space in which these devices are set
next to each other, shelves, and if necessary, the responsible person resting place and
also levels related to health services of projector room and the battery room is not
neglected.
Access to the projector room from inside the theater is prohibited. Communication
between projector room and other communal spaces of cinema is permitted provided
that a medial space is located between the projection room and communal space.
Each projection room should have two doors, or a door and a window. Use of
window is permitted provided that its size and location provide the possibility of
escaping. Doors (or door and window) must be apart from each other and open
outwardly.
All windows for projector light should be coated with double glasses (5 mm)
without distortion and optic error.
Glass edges should be coated by rubber gasket. At the top of each window, a sliding
metal plate be installed, which is the buffer between the two spaces in case of fire.
Height bellow the projectors window relative to the salon floor is so that there is no
access to inside of the theater by people.
If in projector room some windows are considered to outside, they should be located
so that outside light do not transfer inside the salon.
Walls, floor and ceiling of projector room should have the ability to resist for 2
hours against fire. Materials used in the projector room for joinery and acoustic are not
flammable. Floor of projection room for electric and sound transfer cables must be
doubled and the flooring be protected against electricity. Materials used in the walls
should be such that reduce unwanted volume (noise) generated inside the projector
room.
System and safety installations should be considered for the projector room.

4.2. Functional- leisure area

4.2.1. Artworks Theater
Every cinema building can include an artwork lounge for individual’s leisure.

4.2.2. Buffet and Restaurant

Buffet and restaurant are unnecessary spaces and will be considered at the discretion
of constructor and, if constructed, shall have following conditions;
 In every cinema, it is permitted to build a buffet and a restaurant. Buffet offers cold
foods, and cold and hot drinks, and restaurant offers a variety of hot foods (or both cold
and hot foods). Selling substances which eating them in cinemas is banned, are
prohibited in buffet, restaurant and any other place of cinemas.
In restaurant, the food should be spent sitting, so the restaurant must be equipped
with table and chairs. Tables and chairs are not essential for the buffet.
The restaurant should be separated from foyer or any other room that is adjacent to
it, so that the noise will not spread to other places and the smell of food will not spread
in theaters.
Restaurant kitchen should be separated from the restaurant and its relationship with
other areas of cinema and public space outside the theater occur with two doors.
Buffet and Restaurant both should have a barn for their supplies.
Carrying the required items of buffet and restaurant is not allowed by doors which
are used by audience and must be done by other ways. Use of parking or employees
special entrance is permitted to carry the mentioned items.
Hygiene and cleanliness, and cleanliness in the buffet and restaurant is very
important and the supervisory commission is obliged to stop their work in the case of
observing health violations.

4.3. Administrative - Functional Area

In every cinema, space is required to perform administrative tasks. These spaces can
include manager room, staff room, hygiene services, dressing rooms, pray room,
archives , actors room (if cinema wants to act as a drama theater for a limited times).

4.4. Service- Performance Area

4.4.1. Toilets
There should be toilet services for spectators in every cinema. Parts of these services
will be for men and some other parts for women.
In cinemas with a few theaters, number of toilets is based on the population
intended for the cinema foyer.
It is advisable that an additional toilet be also considered for each part of the health
service for men and women so that they will be used in the case of any problem in the
toilets. This additional toilet is required for small theaters that on the basis of calculation
have only one toilet for men and one for women. Thus the total number of toilets in a
cinema is never less than 4.
The number of washroom for spectators’ use is equal to the number of toilets in each
section.
In theaters used for the disabled with wheelchair, a special additional health service
is necessary including a toilet and a sink. This service should be independent of
audience public toilets and accessible to disabled people with wheelchairs.
 Each lavatory service should include both natural and mechanical ventilation. Use of
natural light is recommended in toilet services.
Design and implementation of different parts of the building inside the toilet
services should be such that continuous cleaning and disinfection of all walls and floors
is enabled. For this, some notes should be considered such as correct slope of floors,
building drainage channels, and walls and floors covered with a washable and durable
materials. In Each restroom a place be allocated to store washing tools.
A preliminary space is required in the restroom that is between these services and
adjacent spaces as mediates. The posture of the health service should be such that its
separation from indoor cinema, particularly from the foyer or restaurant, be felt
properly.

4.4.2. Ticket Box Office

In every movie there should be at least one place for ticket selling (Box Office).
Multiple box offices are recommended if cinema meets the high capacity, balcony or
many lounges.
The theater box office has the role of a gravity center. So it should be visible, and
access is easily possible from management or entrance to the box office.
Because box office deals with the cinema finance, it’s better to avoid constructing it
independently and out of the entrance. Existence of means should be considered to
maintain income of cinema as well as the tools necessary to maintain security.
If the box office is connected to crowd space or spectators’ coming and going, it’s
better to consider a primary space (a spatial filter) before the box office, or its door be
located in such a way that inside the box office be invisible.
Box office should be somewhere that the line related to it doesn’t annoy passing
people and also doesn’t prevent entry and exit of people.
Cinema box office location in the entrance space is permitted provided that enough
place, in entrance space, is considered for line assembly and audience’ coming and
going from cinema.
It is better that the box office area (for one person) be not less than 3 square meters.

4.4.3. Parking lot

Each cinema must have a parking lot to place cars, bikes and motorcycles of the
audience. Cinema establishment and its launch is allowed when it is provided with
parking lot.
Parking of Cinema can be set in one of the following places:
A- A part of the cinema ground
B- inside the cinema building (on the ground floors and basements)
C- Lands near the cinema (owned or rented by cinema owner)
 D- The independent multi-story parking buildings (owned or rented) near the
cinema.
Rides’ path and establishment of audience’s vehicles should be completely separate
from pedestrians’ traffic in cinemas which parking is constructed on movie land (on part
of the land or building of cinemas). Only in one-side-free cinemas, opening a conduit
along free side of the ground for vehicles traffic is allowed, and they can cut the
sidewalk in front of the cinema to enter to or exit from the parking lot.
Entrance and exit channel of parking should not be located where, because of entry
and exit of vehicles (particularly cars), trafficking in streets around cinema is disrupted.
It is not allowed to place audience main entrance inside the covered parking of
cinema.
Scheme of cinema parking should be compatible with synchronized principle of cars
and other vehicles’ entry and exit.
Parking structures should have a two -hour fire resistance.
Covered parking lots should have both natural and mechanical ventilation.
In parking lots, especially indoor parking lots, necessary measures should be taken
to parking lot washing facilities.
Every garage should have at least two handy fire extinguishers.
In other cases not mentioned, theater parking design should match with general law
of metropolitan about parking design of public structures.

4.4.4. Cinema Entrance

One entry should be allocated to audience in each cinema. Cinema staff can use this
entrance, but there should be another separate way from audience entry for transferring
equipment and materials used in buffets and restaurants, transporting waste and the like.
Cinema entrance has to be set back compared to the adjacent passageway, and
provide the space for the crowd line to buy cinema tickets. This area must have a roof or
shade to protect the audience as much as possible from bad weather conditions.
For disabled use, a ramp should be designed in the place where there is a surface
difference between street and entrance to a minimum width of 1-2 meters and a
maximum slope of 8%.
Cinema entrance doors have to be built very firmly to deal with the pressure of
crowd at emergency. The doors should be able to open to 2 sides and at least a part of
them (at an altitude of sight) to be made of safety glass. Neither of doors is being locked
all the time of cinema performance.
It is better to fix the heat and cold of the cinema and also there should exist a
preliminary enclosed space to maintain order and cleanliness of cinema at the entrance.
This entrance space has two doors that on one hand open to outside and on the other
hand is connected to the interior of cinema. Depth of this mediate space should not be
less than 3 meters. Since the entrance of cinema is considered as a way to exit the foyer
 when emergency, the supervisory commission is responsible to confirm the true
functioning of cinema entrance as an exit door of foyer in the case of danger.
Advertise on current and upcoming movies in the cinema entrance and entrance
filter is permitted in the case that the input filter has a large area somehow that does not
stop people and cause problem.

4.4.5. Communication Spaces

Exit doors of the theater to open either directly to the outside space or to
independent safe exit routes (without interfering with other areas).
Theaters or balconies with a population of less than 100 people can have an exit path
provided that are allowed to have a theater exit door in accordance with provisions of
this instruction.
If two or more theaters have common exit routes and their total population is more
than 1000 persons, each theater alone should have at least two exit routes and the whole
set should have at least 3 exit routes.
Cinema exit routes should not interfere with audience entrance route.
Cinema exit routes should not interfere with any of the cinema constituent spaces.
Some places which should not have any door or window to exit path are Power
spaces, heating and cooling spaces, kitchen, restaurant, projector rooms, repairs room,
main warehouses, buffet and restaurant warehouses, indoor parking and the like.
If additional sites are located in the theater’s ground, cinema exit path and
mentioned places should be completely separated from each other. Composition of exit
path with game spaces that used by mentioned places is not allowed.
Doors of cinema’s safe places can be opened to the exit path provided that their
relation to the exit path be done by a mediator space (spatial filter) with two doors.
Emergency exit of cinema foyer can be opened to the exiting route of theater.
If the exit route is connected to the roof or to the basement route, the route on the
way up these sections should be blocked by door or fence so that the audience be not
swerved.
Dead end routes branching from exit route is not allowed.
Existence of door in exit routes (between exit door of the theater and the cinema exit
door) is prohibited. Door is essential only at the beginning and end of the exit stairway.
On the way out, all the doors, paths and height differences must be determined by
visual and written signs. These signs be connected to the safety lighting system of
cinema.
If the movie theater has two exit paths (minimum required), width of none of the
exit routes should be less than half the minimum width necessary to evacuate the entire
audience. If a movie theater concludes two or more exit paths, by closing each of the
routes (which is likely at firing), width of the remaining routes should not be less than
half the minimum width required.
 If two or more exit paths cross each other, new route width should be calculated
based on the total crowd which is going to exit from this route.
If the width of an exit route gets narrow and wide along the way, the narrowest part
of the exit route will be considered as width of the exit route.
Elements such as columns, statues, flower orchard and volume of advertising
protruded from the wall in exit path are prohibited, even if the width of the path is not
less than the minimum required. Supervisory Commission can allow such elements in
exit path only when the probability of any danger, due to audience smash with them
when running, is dropped due to height of these elements from floor or due to their
particular compound with other elements.
Stairs should not be used in cinema exit routes if there is a gap between their
components (bump and stairs floor or the floors together).
Round and half-round stairs should not be used in the cinema exit routes.
Width of each step is not less than the minimum required for mentioned exit path in
cinema exit route.
If a number of theaters are connected to an exit stairway, stair width in each floor
should be calculated based on total population of that floor and higher floors.
There should be an independent door at the beginning and end of the exit stairway
and in the exit stairs connection to the theater spaces or foyer. If the stairway distance
from cinema final exit door is less than 10 meters in ground floor, the same exit will be
the cinema stairway final door. Also, given that low risk areas of cinema must have a
spatial filter with two doors for communicate with exit route, there is no need for an
extra door (the third door) to communicate with the exit stairway.
The exit route should contain mechanical ventilation. This ventilation should not be
such that transfer smoke of other spaces to the exit path in case of fire. Natural
ventilation is recommended in the exit route.
Materials for wall covering, ceiling and floor must be of non-flammable materials in
exit route, and the whole building should resist for at least 2 hours before fire.
Exit routes should have safety lightning, and natural lightning is recommended for
exit routes.
Specifications of cinema exit doors should be the same specifications supplied about
the theater exit doors in terms of shape, dimensions, materials, the way of opening and
closing… These doors and other doors that are connected to the exit should resist in
front of fire about 30 minutes.
Cinema exit doors should not occupy the sidewalk after opening even if this
sidewalk, in itself or due to the withdrawal of cinema, is vast and profound.
Use of round or half- round stairs in cinema in places other than the exit route is
permitted provided that the depth of each step is not less than 25 cm in the most narrow
part of it.
 The number of stairs should not be less than 3 in Cinema. Single or double steps, are
allowed only in movie theaters salon provided that these steps were repeated orderly.
Stairs shall be determined by the safety lighting.
The height of each step is at least 14 and at most 18 cm. Maximum step height is 16
cm in Youth Theater. Only the ordered single and double steps can be as high as 12 cm.
Step depth is at least 30 cm and at most 35 cm. The depth and height of the stairs not
be low and high in a contiguous set of stairs.
Stairway landing depth shall not be less than the width of the stair.
Stairway landing width shall not be less than the width of entire stairs.
Stairs and steep track should cover all over the lane width, and should not have
small and dangerous holes between stairs and side boundaries. If the width of the step
and steep track is smaller than the width of the selected sidewalk, these holes should be
enclosed by fences at least 110 cm in height.
Door opening into stair slope is prohibited. Also, doors which open to the stair
landing, should not be located in the rectangular area that is made with the length of
step’s opening and width of a lame step.
Stairs structure should resist in front of fire for 2 hours.
Stairs should have a bump on their sides. If the width of the step is greater than 240
cm, a central bump be also installed.
The door shall not be opened to the slope of ramp.
There should be a horizontal surface with a depth as much as steep track width
between steep track and door, or steep track and step at the beginning and end of the
steep track.
All non- enclosed areas in cinema such as free stairs, indoor and outdoor terraces,
stairs landing, holes and steep tracks must be equipped with a fence at a height of 110
cm. windows and in general, glass surfaces should have this fence. These guards should
not be such that persons (particularly children) to climb it easily.
Materials of stairs’ flooring, steep tracks and corridors must not be slippery and
flammable.
Embedding elevator in cinema for audience use is not allowed, but embedding and
using it, is permitted for administrative affairs, transportation of loads and cinema
equipment.
5. Conclusion and Summary

Significance of leisure in new urban society is to the extent that it is remembered as

the fourth part of human activity after agriculture, industry and services, and it is known
as the characteristic of coming communities. Among issues included in passing leisure
are planning for open space development, environmental beautification and arranging
leisure activities.
Among many facilities that provide beds required for human leisure is cinema. It is
the place that changes into a good place for human assembly and proper formation of
human relations by providing tools to create architectural spaces for recreation, and
providing art and many other services. So, space development and architectural design
of movies, as an important place for leisure and providing other social and economic
services, is an important and evaluative topic that following results would be achieved
due to this basic movement:
- Creating an attractive environment for friendly communication and the exchange of
thoughts and ideas
- Creating the proper environment to acquaint youth to artistic, cultural activities
- Physical and mental abilities increment
- Building communicative bridge between cultural, scientific and arts centers
- To provide a proper bed for the development of popular culture
- Step toward improving the quality and quantity of urban spaces in the area in local
scale
- Producing income and employment for a part of the community
- Producing a healthy leisure time for people
- Reflecting cultural and political issues of the day in a wide level.

6. Acknowledgments
The authors report no conflicts of interest
 References
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[2] Ashton, D. and C. Irey. "Dance Facilities."1972.
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[4] Borden, Iain. The unknown city: Contesting architecture and social space. MIT Press, 2002.
[5] Burris-Meyer, H. and E. C. Cole. Theatres and auditoriums, RE Krieger Publishing Company,
1975.
[6] Duprey, L. J. THEATER SEATING, Google Patents, 1924.
[7] Krause, L. and P. Petro Global cities: Cinema, architecture, and urbanism in a digital age, Rutgers
University Press, 2003.

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