Westtown Hub

r order to give the Westtown Entertainment Hub an urban, layered feel,
HAA chose to make all five buildings different from :ne another, as if they
were built at different times. The five buildings are loosely arranged around
a large, plaza. This plaza is defined by an undulating feature wall whose
sweeping curves define outdoor caf6 seating areas on tr: ground floor, and
terraces on the first floor’ At the entrance the feature wall emerges as an
inviting, round tower.
When HAA was hired by Al Ismailia Company to restore Cinema Radio,
they stared by conducting exhaustive research into the history of the
building. This research revealed that the movie palace was built in the
1930’s by RKO studios, known for movies such as King Kong and the
Wizard of OZ. RKO’s flagship teater was the famous Raido City Muisci
Hall in New York. In fact, the interior of Cinema Radio is a smaller replica
of Radio City, utilizing the same ceiling design, composed of radiating
vaults, recalling RKO’s logo of sound waves emanating from a radio tower.
Cinema Radio is actually a small complex consisting of and office building
along Talat   Harb   street a shopping arcade and the cinema itself. The
architect for all three was Max Ederi , who is also responsible for many
landmark buildings in downtown Cairo, such as the High Courts of Justice,
the Immobilia Building and the Union Building in Zamalek . Born in Egypt
of French Jewish decent, Edrei was forced to flee Egypt in 1956. He
moved to Paris where he died in 1972.