Iconic BFI IMAX building could be knocked down in favour of a skyscraper
The BFI IMAX has been standing near Waterloo Station since 1999 but now its future is uncertain.
The iconic cinema – owned by the British Film Institute – is located in the London borough of Lambeth but because of changes to the Lambeth Local Plan it could be knocked down and replaced with a skyscraper.
The London SE1 community website says that the borough cabinet is set to approve the BFI IMAX and seven other locations as suitable places for tall buildings to be built.
The cinema was designed by architect Bryan Avery, who died last year, and the building took over the spot in the Bullring which had previously hosted Waterloo’s infamous ‘cardboard city,’ where homeless people had used as a place to sleep since 1938.
The residents weren’t just kicked out by the council to make way for the cinema as they were offered free housing in the borough instead of using the pedestrian underpasses.
If the council approved a plan to replace the IMAX with a tower it could potentially be the biggest the area has seen as it can be designed to be up to 130m tall.
Since July 2012, the IMAX has been operated by Odeon cinemas and it houses the largest screen in Britain standing at 20m high and 26m wide.
It’s played host to some of the biggest premieres and film events and this year hosted historic movie memorabilia ahead of being auctioned by the Prop Store.
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