Kino Konepaja is an atmospheric cinema that opened in September 2024 at the Vallilan Konepaja. The building, which used to be a depot where trains were painted, has been transformed into a comfortable lounge area and a reference-class cinema hall in collaboration with a number of professionals. The idea to set up Kino Konepaja was born from the desire of Jussi Myllyniemi, producer at WhitePoint Digital, who wanted to combine post-production and the best possible facilities for screening films.
As much as possible of the over a century old building’s history has been left visible to tell the story of a bygone era. The old railway handcars next to the large windows in the lounge area have been restored and converted into seats. According to interior architect Terhi Tuominen, of TuominenPatel, the aim was to create Kino Konepaja into an intimate and atmospheric old-fashioned cinema. The atmosphere of the facility was created with a Yankee-style cinema awning with dark warm colours, material choices and warm lighting. Tuominen describes the cinema hall as the heart of the venue, but the lounge area with bars and table groups as its soul. The lounge area offers a pleasant and relaxed environment for a pre-movie party, an after-movie party, or just a night out.
One of the most important factors affecting the comfort of a cinema is the acoustics of the facility. The acoustics of Kino Konepaja are based on a range of Ewona acoustic products, from background acoustics to the interior AcuDesign acoustic slatted panels. According to Promethor Oy‘s acoustic designer Kalle Lehtonen, the theatre was set up to create a distraction-free and neutral working environment for image and sound design, as well as a peaceful sound environment for evening and weekend performances. Lehtonen explains that when designing the acoustics of a cinema, several things needs to be taken into account to ensure a pleasant cinema experience:
“Balanced room acoustics and high-quality sound reproduction reveal the nuances of the soundscape. Good construction and penetrations, sound insulation, and the fact that the space has sufficiently background sound levels, combined with the functionality of the room acoustics over the entire sound range used, from low bass to delicate trebles, create a true cinematic experience.”
The cinema’s reference-level acoustics, good speech intelligibility and accurate sound image are created by placing coated Ewona black basic acoustic panels on the theatre’s wall surfaces. Background acoustic panels have been used inside the damping elements and in the background of the surface panels, especially to dampen low frequencies. While in the lounge area AcuDesign acoustic slatted panels and background acoustic panels have been installed to dampen the sound generated there.
For more information about Kino Konepaja, please visit: https://kinokonepaja.fi/