A bold reimagining of the customer journey through the upper levels of The Rock shopping centre in Bury, transforming a previously underperforming cinema, bowling, and dining offer into a vibrant leisure destination with real identity.

Located on the third floor, the cinema was hidden away behind a lacklustre and overly bright interior that lacked contrast, atmosphere, and coherence. The journey from street level up was disjointed, sterile, and forgettable – a whitewashed series of spaces with little to reflect the drama and excitement of the activities on offer.

The design harnessed the cinematic potential of the setting, embracing contrast, coloured light, and darker, richer tones to create a more immersive and sensory experience from the outside in. By introducing large-scale supergraphics, a more expressive wayfinding system, and bold moments of visual drama, the design reframed the ascent through the building as part of the entertainment itself.

Key interventions focused on activating the vertical journey – turning corridors into thresholds, transitions into moments, and signage into storytelling. The experience was no longer about simply arriving at the cinema; it became a continuous, theatrical progression through light, sound, and space.

By injecting personality and play into a previously forgettable route, the design could not only attract new restaurants and leisure tenants, but gave Bury a renewed destination.

A landmark within the town and a more compelling reason to stay, dwell, and return.