Galvanised Steel in Pálás Cinema

Galway’s Pálás cinema designed by dePaor Architects, won the Detail Award in the Galvanizers Association GAGA competition. Galvanized steel was chosen in Pálás for its texture and colour, flat against the west of Ireland sky. It is good with limestone and concrete and it weathers to a soft grey and chimes with street furniture.

Pálás is a three-screen arthouse cinema and cultural space in the UNESCO city of film- Galway. Designed by Architect Tom de Paor, Pálás is a concrete monolith, five storey over double-height basement housing a three-screen independent cinema, a beautiful bar, and restaurant. The building occupies the garden of a reinstated 1820s merchant house. Throughout the building, you will discover 22 beautiful resin-coated windows designed by Irish artist Patrick Scott.

All of the external hardware to the building is fabricated from 6 mm mild steel that was galvanized. Inside the circulation areas of the building are untempered and so bespoke light fittings and conduit are all in galvanized round tube bent and coordinated as part of the architecture of the space.

On winning the awards Tom dePaor said: “It is particularly satisfying to receive the acknowledgment from the industry for the design and fabrication of the hardware of the cinema – the small things which furnish the whole and make it work…all bespoke and in tandem to make the building speak to hand and eye.”

Galvanizers Association is the source of free information and advice about hot dip galvanising and the galvanizing industry.

The Galvanizing Awards competition has been recognising the innovative use of galvanized steel by architects, engineers, constructors, and artists for over 20 years.