TAIPEI PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE, TAIPEI, TAIWAN, 2009

1,500 seat theatre and two 800 seat theatres.

In the last five years, the world has seen a proliferation of performance centres that propose, according to a mysterious consensus, versions of a more or less identical combination: large (2,000-seat) auditorium, medium (1,500-seat) theatre, completed by a black box. Contemporary forms disguise conservative typologies: theatre configurations based on 19th century practice (and symbolism: balconies as evidence of social stratification). Even though the essential elements of the theater – stage, proscenium, auditorium – are more than 3,000 years old, there is no excuse for this stagnation, which is oblivious to experiment and ignores relevant 20th century innovation.
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FACT SHEET

Project:
Taipei Performing Arts Centre

Location:
Taipei, Taiwan

Status:
Competition: First prize, 2009

Scheduled:
Completion: 2014

Budget:
3.8 billion Taiwan dollars (90 million Euro)

Program:
Total 40,000m2. One 1,500-seat theatre and two 800-seat theatres.

COLLABORATORS

Local architects:
Artech

Landscaping and interiors:
Inside Outside

SMEP & fire engineering, sustainability:
ARUP

Theatre consultancy:
dUCKS Scéno

Acoustics consultancy:
DHV

Model:
Vincent de Rijk

Photography:
Frans Parthesius and Iwan Baan

Animation:
Artefactory

CREDITS

Partners in charge:
Rem Koolhaas

General manager – architect:
David Gianotten

Project leader:
Ibrahim Elhayawan

Design team:
Jim Dodson, Adam Frampton, Inge Goudsmit, Alasdair Graham, Chiaju Lin, Roberto Requejo, Viviano Villarreal, Casey Wang, Leonie Wenz

Competition team:
André Schmidt, Mariano Sagasta, Adam Frampton, with:
Erik Amir, Josh Beck, Jean-Baptiste Bruderer, David Brown, Andrew Bryant, Steven Chen, Dan Cheong, Ryan Choe, Antoine Decourt, Mitesh Dixit, Pingchuan Fu, Alexander Giarlis, Richard Hollington, Shabnam Hosseini, Sean Hoo , Takuya Hosokai, Miguel Huelga, Nicola Knop, Chiaju Lin, Sandra Mayritsch, Vincent McIlduff, Alexander Menke, Ippolito Pestellini, Gabriele Pitacco, Shiyun Qian, Joseph Tang, Agustin Perez-Torres, Xinyuan Wang, Ali Yildirim, Patrizia Zobernig

PRESS

Archi Central, 29 April 2009
Art Info, 29 January 2009
Abitare, 27 January 2009
World Architecture News, 27 January 2009