In January 2009, OMA won the competition to design the Taipei Performing Arts Center (TPAC) in Taiwan.

This is the design by Morphosis architects. It embodies a series of contrasts and counterpoints to become the ‘great theater’ that is ‘the outward and visible sign’ of Taipei.

Description from Morphosis:

‘I believe that in a great city… a great theater is the outward and visible sign of an inward and probable culture.— Sir Laurence Olivier, British actor, director and producer (1907- 1989)

Historically, Taiwanese culture has encompassed a rich blend of Confucian Han Chinese, Japanese, European, American, southern Asian, and indigenous influences. This diversity, combined with Taiwan’s ongoing social and political struggle for self-determination, has forged a strong, distinctive and resilient national identity.

In the spirit of Taiwan’s time-honored cultural diversity, and its more recent social and political resilience, the Performing Art Center embodies a series of contrasts and counterpoints:

Urban Connector AND Iconic Jewel

The Performing Arts Center stands out as an icon, its facets immediately identifiable from all corners of the city. Simultaneously, the complex is at one with its urban environment—seamlessly connected to its immediate surroundings, via public plazas, 24-hour linkages, dynamic facades and covered arcades. The complex is monumental in stature yet grounded in its context.

Our proposal creates an environment that, amidst the dynamism and cacophony of the city, functions as a universe unto itself, while also seamlessly integrating with the physical, social and cultural fabric of its immediate context. Within walking distance of the lively Shilin Night Market, the historic Cixian temple, and the Zhongshan North green boulevard, as well as the TRTS Jiantan Station and major roadways, the Taipei Performing Arts Center anchors a round-the-clock cultural axis. The architecture becomes, by virtue of its sculpted and indelible form, a landmark in the region—like a jewel, with distinct facets visible from all corners of the city.

Quotidian AND Symbolic

The Performing Arts Center embraces Taiwanese culture’s reverence for the theater as a fundamentally open art form. The Center is conceived not only as a ceremonial setting for theater as high art, but moreover as an inclusive ‘People’s Theater’ that is woven into everyday life. Theater-goers, visitors, and passersby alike engage as both participant and observer in the public spectacle facilitated by the center’s overlapping variety of spaces.

In Taipei, the theater is not an amenity reserved for the cultural elite, but is truly open to the entire community. Our proposal celebrates both conceptions of theater: theater as high art, embodied by the sumptuous formal foyers leading to the striking Grand Theater and the intimate Proscenium Playhouse; and the inclusiveness of a ‘People’s Theater,’ exemplified by the Multiform Theater’s overt and deliberate connection to the public. The differentiated form, material language, and spatial layout of each of the three theaters align with their respective roles. Each theater’s distinct form in turn directly inflects the form of the overall building envelope and the complex as a whole.

Regional Landmark AND International Destination

While specific to its local context, the Performing Arts Center provides a state-of-the-art, world-class facility, equipped to meet the highest international artistic standards. The project anchors Taipei’s new cultural axis and elevates Taiwan as a global nexus of cultural and social distinction.

Taipei epitomizes the boundless potential of the city, that most profound creation of humanity; it is the location of continuous regeneration, and a place of infinite possibilities. In the broadest sense, the new Performing Arts Center becomes the ‘great theater’ that is ‘the outward and visible sign’ of Taipei.’

For further information and pictures visit: www.morphopedia.com.