Taipei's New Performing Arts Center Unveiled, Designed by OMA

The newly completed Taipei Performing Arts Centre designed by OMA and David Gianotten is a flexible and compact space located at Taipei's vibrant Shilin Night Market. The building features a 1,500-seat Grand Theatre, an 800-seat Blue Box, and an 800-seat Globe Playhouse, all of which are housed in a central cube that includes stages, backstages, and support spaces. The Globe Playhouse boasts a unique proscenium, allowing for experimentation with stage framing.

The central cube, which is lifted off the ground, creates a landscaped plaza, while the free-to-access Public Loop invites visitors into the building to experience different aspects of theatre production that are typically hidden. The loop includes portal windows that provide views inside the three theatres, allowing visitors to see the creative processes behind unimagined productions.

According to Rem Koolhaas, founding partner of OMA, the team was interested in contributing to the history of theatre by combining three auditoria in a particular way, and they hope to extend what can be done in theatre. Meanwhile, David Gianotten, managing partner and architect, notes that the configuration of three theatres plugged into a central cube has resulted in new internal workings of the performing spaces to inspire unimagined productions.

The building's multiple faces, defined by the protruding auditoria, give it a unique look that stands out from typical performance centres. The auditoria feature opaque facades and appear as mysterious elements docking against the animated and illuminated central cube, which is clad in corrugated glass. Kris Yao, the founder of KRIS YAO | ARTECH, the Taiwanese design collaborating architect, notes that the building's informal, unpretentious, and raw architecture spaces echo the spirits of how citizens of Taipei approach art.

The project was led by Rem Koolhaas, David Gianotten, and project director Chiaju Lin, with Taiwanese design collaborator KRIS YAO | ARTECH. Design consultants included Inside Outside, Arup, dUCKS Scéno, and Royal HaskoningDHV. Test performances took place between March and May 2022, and the theatre will be officially open to the public in August.

According to Liu Ruo-yu, Chairman of Taipei Performing Arts Centre, the completion of the building has significant meaning for the arts, as it is a platform that grows together with the younger generation. Meanwhile, Austin Wang, CEO of Taipei Performing Arts Centre, notes that the completion of the building represents the positioning of Taiwanese theatre in 21st-century contemporary theatre. All perspectives are welcome, all possibilities are included, and all art forms can happen here.

In conclusion, the Taipei Performing Arts Centre is a unique building that has been designed with the aim of extending what can be done in theatre. Its multiple auditoria, unique architecture and free-to-access Public Loop make it a space that invites visitors to experience different aspects of theatre production, and its completion represents the positioning of Taiwanese theatre in contemporary theatre.
 

Press Release. Courtesy of © OMA

Cover image: © OMA by Chris Stowers