An open international competition to design a new state-of-the-art performing arts centre in the heart of Taipei posed the considerable challenge of accommodating three different auditoria - an opera house, a lyric theatre and a multiform theatre - plus associated foyers, concourses and back-of-house spaces within a single unified structure.
A key design inspiration for the scheme lay in the fact that the site lay immediately opposite Taipei's famous Shi Lin night market. Research into the traditions of Taiwanese theatre revealed a strong association between theatrical performances and public areas such as marketplaces; accordingly, the design team sought to build on this historical relationship by creating an open and democratic cultural centre which actively encouraged interaction between day-to-day city life and the performing arts.
The activity of the night market opposite is drawn into the site by the integration of market stalls and retail facilities within the substantial public space created before the building. In turn, this new public square is designed to serve as an additional outdoor performance space which complements the more formal theatrical venues within. The three different auditoria within the building are enclosed by a spectacular roof of undulating strips which recall the ribbons used in a variety of Taiwanese folk dances. In addition, it was proposed that these roof elements could be constructed from a series of monocoque structures developed in collaboration with Taiwan’s thriving shipbuilding industry.
