Safety innovation at Tuschinski

The authoritative British magazine Time Out named Pathé Tuschinski the ‘most beautiful cinema in the world.’ In our opinion, this is entirely justified. The national monument, dating from 1921, is simply stunning and features a breathtaking Art Deco and Art Nouveau interior. It has been remarkably well-preserved and has also undergone extensive restoration in recent years. For Mactwin, it was a great honor—and a challenge—to renew the fire alarm and evacuation system in this iconic building.

David Hanemaayer, the proud theater manager and ‘care keeper’ of the building, tells us in detail about the cinema and the replacement of both systems. “Tuschinski is much more than a cinema. People come here for a night out. Furthermore, we regularly rent out the halls, foyers, and bar for events, and we receive many requests for photo shoots or film recordings. And then there are the major national and international film premieres. In October, we celebrate our 100th anniversary. The intention is to celebrate this in a big way! Meanwhile, the renovation of theaters 2 and 3 in the old section has also been completed. It has turned out beautifully. In theater 2, the original wall paintings have been reconstructed, and in theater 3, the walls have been painted with a new design based on the original. Additionally, luxury, comfortable chairs and benches have been installed in both theaters. So, in October, we have every reason to celebrate.”

Precision work in monumental building

A reliable fire alarm and evacuation system is essential and, moreover, mandatory in a cinema. “At Tuschinski, the building’s wooden construction poses an extra risk. And once a fire starts, it spreads incredibly fast!” Hanemaayer explains. When it became clear in 2020 that the fire alarm and evacuation system was outdated and could no longer be certified, action was taken quickly. Mactwin was commissioned to completely renew the installation. A prestigious but challenging assignment, especially since almost everything in the building is historical and of great value, and we were strictly forbidden from damaging the interior in any way.

Hanemaayer: “Imagine, in our building, you are allowed to do almost nothing, yet cables must be run everywhere… Everyone therefore had to work with extreme precision and care. If you remove a detector (to replace it), you have to be very careful that no wallpaper comes loose. The technicians also sometimes had to work in very tight spaces where it was a real ‘squeeze and crawl’ situation. It wasn’t always easy for these technicians, and logically, the project’s lead time was somewhat longer than in many other buildings.” We could clearly see what Hanemaayer meant by ‘squeeze and crawl’ when we took a look at the attic where an aspiration system has been installed…

Twan Reuvers (Account Manager at Mactwin): “To prevent any unnecessary (visible) damage to the building, we left the old speakers that were actually no longer needed. If we had removed them, you would have seen damage in the wall everywhere and we would have been further away from home. At the moment, Pathé still uses the old loudspeakers for background music (instead of as a public address system).”

Aesthetically pleasing fire protection

Furthermore, the fire safety measures in the public areas of the monumental building had to be as inconspicuous as possible. “Visitors’ attention should primarily be focused on the building and the beautiful decorations, not on fire detectors…” says Hanemaayer. This created some points of tension here and there. Fortunately, Mactwin devised excellent solutions for this as well. Reuvers: “Many detectors have been spray-painted in the color of the wall or ceiling, and for example, we selected the smallest possible remote indicator panel, which we also colored dark brown—the same color as the wooden wall on which the panel is mounted. We placed the fire beam smoke detectors and slow whoops (sirens) in the main auditorium discreetly near the ornaments on either side of the large screen.”