Lumière Cinema

The old Sphinx factory in Maastricht became the new location for the cinema Lumière after extensive restoration and renovation. The 1910 complex is part of a culture cluster located beside the Bassin marina. The development is part of a larger urban development project, serving as a boost for continued redevelopment in this former industrial area to the north of the centre of the Dutch city of Maastricht.

Transfomration architecture at its best

The complex consists of four buildings: a machine hall, two boiler houses, and a carpentry workshop linking the machine hall to the other buildings. The beautifully decorated hall, a listed building, now provides ample space for the cinema’s restaurant cafe. The first floor, where the old steam machines used to be, has been transformed into a stylish restaurant, in an environment where old installations are preserved. The restaurant kitchen is located on the ground floor, between the old masonry foundations of the steam machines as well as a separate bar area directly connected to the terrace on the marina.

Cinema complex with 500 seats in redevelopment project 

There are six cinema screens, with a total capacity of 500 seats, stacked according to the box-in-a-box principle. The three largest are located in a half-submerged basement construction, which has left sufficient space to continue being able to experience the iconic roof structures. These screens are equipped with tiered seating. As a result, there is an excellent view of the entertainment from every seat while adding to the feeling of a shared cinema experience. In addition, the height of the panels in the acoustic wall cladding is cohesive with the tiers of seating.

Linking the buildings together for a cohesive experience

The restaurant level continues above the half-submerged screens so that the four buildings are linked with each other at this level. As a result, visitors to the cinema can walk straight into the boiler houses from the restaurant café and access one of the six screens from the elevated ground floor. The entrance to the cinema is housed in the adjacent former carpentry workshop in what used to be an alley between the workshop and the power station. The old side wall of the power station can still be seen inside.

The carpentry workshop is one of the earliest examples of a construction with reinforced concrete, devised by the French engineer François Hennebique. In this type of construction, all beams, floors, and columns are cast at the same time, so that extremely slender constructions can be formed. The most slender columns on the upper floor can still be seen from inside the courtyard.

Cultural architecture supporting potential future development

The largest screen in the complex has been placed under the level of the courtyard by making use of the substantial height difference between the courtyard and the marina. As a result, the desired future connection to the adjacent Sappi site directly behind the complex can be realized and enough room remains for future development.

Restrooms worth a visit

The complex was full of abandoned technical spaces, some of which had even been bricked up for years. By combining the basement construction with clever solutions, it was possible to give all these areas a new function, and most are now accessible to the public. Even the restrooms are worth a visit, located in a space with bright highceilings, with beautiful light from above and classic green tiles.

As a whole, Lumière Cinema is a magnificent complex, where the industrial heritage of the Sphinx factory has been combined with a state-of-the-art cinema complex and an extensive and welcoming restaurant café in a wonderful environment.

Ensuring sustainable development while respecting cultural heritage

Sweco offers expertise in transformation architecture by blending historical preservation with modern design.

With a multidisciplinary team, Sweco can provide tailored solutions that balance functional requirements with the unique characteristics of each site, fostering a respectful relationship between existing structures and new developments.

Read more about Sweco’s offer within transformation architecture.