Architect Duo Turns Empty Lot into Vibrant Outdoor Cultural Hub with Epson Large Venue Projection

Multimedia-Equipped Community Hub Provides Flexible Viewing for Range of Content Needs with High-Powered Projection from Epson

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- While Newburgh, New York has emerged as a growing film production hub, the 2023 closure of its last movie house left residents with fewer opportunities to share and participate in film and art experiences. In response, Amy Shell and Razvan Voroneanu co-founded Common Projects Newburgh, an initiative focused on reactivating underutilized sites through architectural project, public installations and cultural programming. Their first project, the Newburgh Cinemabox, transforms an empty lot into a flexible, multimedia-equipped pavilion – powered by an Epson large venue laser projector – to host film screenings, digital art exhibitions and a variety of other events.

"Access to arts and culture is an important part of civic life, yet it's not always very accessible and easy to approach," said Shell. "The Cinemabox is a way for us to test how design and technology could turn the typical model of an inward-looking venue, like a movie theater or gallery, inside-out to create new opportunities for people to come together and experience film and art in a more open space."

The Cinemabox Vision Comes to Life
By day a pavilion and by night a big-screen hub, the Cinemabox is a multimedia venue open to artists, storytellers and community members for creative and community-engaged initiatives. Building on early research and design work during their studies in Columbia GSAPP's Master of Architecture program, the project evolved into a series of initiatives exploring how public spaces can be reconfigured and activated. First conceptualized in 2014, Shell and Voroneanu started initial groundwork in 2023, collaborating with local partners and landowners to site and fabricate a majority of the Cinemabox themselves from the ground up. Completed in October 2025, the custom structure now stands in the heart of the city, just one block from the downtown center.

"Our vision for the Cinemabox is to bring film production and architectural design as equal, interdisciplinary partners, collaborating across industries to create a space where creativity and community converge in meaningful ways," said Voroneanu. "Coupling a professional projection system in a compact, modular structure, this project tests how one piece of infrastructure can serve both creative production and public use."

A six-module steel structure, the Cinemabox enclosure measures 19-by-18-feet on the bottom and 13-feet high with a 20-by-10-foot stage. Shell and Voroneanu were seeking a display solution to complete the Cinemabox project that could deliver high brightness and endure various environmental conditions. Given this, it features two foldable polycarbonate doors that encase a 240-inch screen and innovative rear projection system powered by the Epson Pro Series laser projectors with 4K Enhancement¹  and encased by Epson's new ELPMB84 Projector Stacking Frame. 

"This venue was unique for projection. We needed a solution that would be bright and hardy enough to endure various environmental impacts that would come from this outdoor venue," said Shell. "We also needed to be able to bring the projector up and down with each event, so while it needed to be a beast of a projector, it also couldn't be too large that we weren't able to move it around between the two of us."

Ideal for the Cinemabox, the Epson Pro Series laser projector offers a robust chassis and durable design while remaining compact enough for setup and teardown between events. Its brightness and display quality also ensure that all types of content look sharp and vibrant, supporting the wide range of events planned for this unique project.

"We had to think outside the box on this project, particularly when it came to mounting and movement of the projector, as we needed to be able to move it back and forth, adjusting the image size for different types of content," said Voroneanu. "One feature that proved to be especially helpful was the projector frame that Epson suggested. This kept the projector secure during transport and made it easy to rig onto the custom-built railing system, allowing it to move smoothly back and forth. Another piece was designing a lift system to mount the projector onto the railing and Epson helped guide us in this process towards an ideal solution."

"What began as a school project exploring the city of Newburgh and the Hudson Valley region has grown into a platform for ongoing use and a space where storytellers can share their work," said Shell. "Bringing the Cinemabox to life has been a humbling experience. As a team of mostly just two – plus our ingenious friend and welder Stuart Sachs – both working full-time, we couldn't have done it without the dedication of key collaborators and the generous support and technology provided by Epson."

"When Amy and Razvan first approached us, we were immediately excited to be part of this project," said Ramzi Shakra, senior product manager, Epson America. "Their architectural vision and background promised something unique and we were thrilled to help bring it to life by illuminating the space with the Epson projector."

About Epson
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1 4K Enhancement Technology shifts each pixel to surpass Full HD resolution on screen.

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