Taipei, Taiwan

The Cultural Peak. Taipei Performing Arts Center

GLOBAL AND LOCAL CULTURE
The demand for a new cultural theatrical center in Taipei coincides with the moment to discuss Taipei’s appearance in the world and Taiwan’s specialization, due to the globalization.
What will be the appearance of the complex? Something fashionable? Something that already exists elsewhere? Or something more focused? Something that wants to discuss the specific situation?

THE AREA
The situation for the new theatre complex is specific: in between the YangMing mountain and the city. Where the hills are undeniably specific, spectacular and overwhelming, the city has a much more generic appearance. Can the theatre respond to this?

THE WORLD OF ICONS
Cities compete with icons. What should Taipei add to the discussion? Can we develop an iconic complex that distances itself from the known more or less icons? Can we create a building that creates a sincere contextual representation? That is therefore irreplaceable? That therefore is able to attract people from the city as from abroad due to its contextual notion? How to construct an approach that allows making the building comprehensible? That develops a proud way to explain its concept clearly? A clear narrative is proposed.

FUNCTION AND FESTIVENESS
The organization of a theatre complex has a strong combination of functional and festive components. The theatres with all their strong demands are like ’machines’, which are based on view lines, acoustics and tradition. They behave like fixed ’instruments’. These instruments are positioned in such a way that a true functional organization of the logistics can be combined with a festive approach of the visitor and the actors.

EXCELLENCE IN PERFORMANCE
The Taipei Performing Arts Center has the great ambition to unify three different theatre types in one building, a grand theatre, a proscenium playhouse and a multiform theatre, all with their very own specifics and logistics. The design is developed around the idea that the theatres are developed through the demands of their specific performances and unified by the surrounding program such as the lobby. This theatre design based on logic and theatre technology achieves excellence for the visitors and the actors, it facilitates efficiency behind the stage, all to turn the visit to any one of the three theatres into a festive and memorable event. The theatres achieve maximum visibility from each chair and the stage technology allows for swift changeovers.

Meanwhile acoustics, scènography, lighting and storage are designed to serve the very needs of the varying performances that are to be held in the Performing Arts Center, from Chinese opera to modern dance, from classical theatre to concerts, all within this flexible and adapting building. Whatever performance the public visits they can be certain of the best support and care by their Performing Arts Center.

THE PERFECT COMPOSITION
As the three theatres have their own logics and logistics it leads to independent demands and plans. In total nothing ’fits’. By accepting this, an extremely rich lobby comes alive.
The three instruments are placed in such a way that they form a welcoming lobby to the Wenlin road and the city. They are placed as well in such a way that they surround on one hand the loading dock, which is directly accessible from Chengde road, with the deliveries to all the three theatres.
On the first floor the back stage artist’s zone is situated as a ’village’. Higher up the offices are positioned as a ‚beam’ with its own domain. On top the restaurant’s volume with a view over the city. Each of them is separately accessible.

THE 3D LOBBY
By covering this program and its optimized position with a beautiful blanket, a rich spacious lobby comes to live underneath.
The in between space becomes the communicative lobby space, in which all program functions are connected through stairs and bridges. A sincere three dimensional lobby appears. Can it be the answer to Garnier’s Opera in Paris?

THE BEAUTIFUL BLANKET
The blanket is proposed to be made of sprayed insulated concrete (with substantial sustainable potential) and covered with PU polished painting, giving a subtle glance…. The inside of the blanket is covered with mirrors, creating a reflective environment for the audience.
The blanket is punctured with glass windows that form a line pattern that derived from a traditional Taiwanese piece of textile. This pattern illuminates the foyer during the day. It becomes a shining message towards the sky and the surrounding during the nights.

THE NEW URBAN HILL
The blanket forms a hill with accessible outside terraces for the offices halfway to the top as a terrace for the restaurant on the top: dining on a peak with a view over the city. Parts of the slopes are used for an outdoor cinema or theatre. The lower part of the hill is shaped in such a way that more public functions come alive. A skateboard connection with the surrounding plazas makes the building a truly public amenity.

HIGH AND LOW
The intention to position the new performing arts centre at this location is inspiring: it wants to combine high art within a popular area. It wants to enliven and invest in the popular night market area. The architecture intends to develop this, the design strengthens the public role of this possibly elitist institution, the hill becomes multi functional. It becomes public: The creation of a public amenity, a new hill between the existing Taipei hills. It adds to the specialness of the city. It emphasizes the natural beauty of Taiwan, one of its major attractions. It strengthens the value of it as the need to protect it and to develop it.

Our proposal creates a true public building for all citizens, enhancing culture, referring to local tradition and nature. A new international icon for Taipei embedded in the city.

siteplan

Design team information
Design: MVRDV
Design team: Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries with Hui-Hsin Liao, Sunnie Lau, Ok Hyun Kim, and Riccardo Ferrari.
Co-architect: Artech Architects, Kris Yao