The Front Room is Architecture WK’s exciting vision for the Teddington High Street HSBC site, the latest in our series of Social Initiative Projects, in which our design team offers solutions for local sites that require improvement or redevelopment. The projects have no single client and no agenda other than improving our locality. If a proposal can be implemented, it would be a wonderful bonus. The High Street branch of HSBC closed in 2017; a planning application for flats above a commercial unit was refused in June 2020. Believing the site should be developed to enrich the cultural and social lives of the local community, and mindful of planning policy aiming to retain local commercial and employment opportunities, we propose a luxury cinema for Teddington in the spirit of Esher’s Everyman and Notting Hill’s Electric Cinemas. Home from Home – a Space for Living after Lockdown The auditorium echoes the form of its envelope, taking its cues from venues such as The Electric Cinema in Notting Hill and The Everyman Cinema in Esher, where comfort and space are key. The auditorium bar can offer either bar service for interval drinks or table service for added luxury, while the flexible stage area can be extended for events or reduced for additional cinema seating.