© OMA by Chris Stowers
New photographs have been released of OMA’s Taipei Performing Arts Center (TPAC), as construction nears completion in Taiwan. Consisting of three theaters, each functioning autonomously of each other, the OMA scheme seeks to depart from the traditional consensus of performing arts centers as simply containing a large auditorium, medium-sized theater, and small-size black box.
OMA sees “no excuse for contemporary stagnation,” using the TPAC as an opportunity to experiment with the inner workings of theaters, leading to a dynamic external presence. Hence, the TPAC’s three theaters plug into a central cube combining stages, backstages, and support spaces into a single, efficient entity, allowing stages to be modified or merged for unforeseen scenarios.
© OMA by Chris Stowers
The TPAC also departs from the conventional “front of house/back of house” program of theaters and performing arts centers. The compact form allows for several “faces” defined by the individual theater protruding from the central cube. The auditoria are imagined as “mysterious, dark elements against the illuminated, animated cube” of corrugated glass.
© OMA by Chris Stowers
The TPAC’s boldest feature, the “Proscenium Playhouse,” evokes the image of a suspended planet docking with the cube. Internally, the audience circulates between two shell layers to access the auditorium, while the intersection of the inner shell and the central cube forms a unique proscenium (the part of the stage in front of the curtain).
© OMA by Chris Stowers
The Grand Theater is a “contemporary evolution of the large theater spaces of the 20th century,” accentuated by a slightly asymmetrical form, and a stage, parterre, and balcony all unified into a folded plane. Opposite the Grand Theater, a Multiform Theater offers flexible space for experimental performances.
© OMA by Chris Stowers
Coupling the Grand Theater and Multiform Theater creates a massive, factory-like “Super Theater” capable of accommodating previously impossible productions such as the 100-meter-long stage required the Zimmermann’s Die Soldaten.
© Frans Parthesius, courtesy of OMA
The TPAC has been designed to encourage interaction with the public, even those without a ticket, with a “Public Loop” through the theater infrastructure and production spaces. As well as enabling the audience to experience the workings of the arts more fully, it encourages the theater to open up to the wider public.
© Frans Parthesius, courtesy of OMA
The result of a competition in 2008-2009, construction of the TPAC began in 2012. The scheme topped out in 2014.
© Iwan Baan, courtesy of OMA
News via: OMA
Client: Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Budget: Estimated: 5.4 billion Taiwan Dollars (Around 140 million Euro)
Program: Total 50,000m2. One 1,500-seat theatre and two 800-seat theatres
Height: 63m
Partners-in-charge: Rem Koolhaas, David Gianotten
Associate-in-charge: Adam Frampton
Design team: Ibrahim Elhayawan with: Yannis Chan, Hin-Yeung Cheung, Jim Dodson, Inge Goudsmit, Alasdair Graham, Vincent Kersten, Chiaju Lin, Vivien Liu, Kai Sun Luk, Kevin Mak, Slobodan Radoman, Roberto Requejo, Saul Smeding, Elaine Tsui, Viviano Villarreal, Casey Wang, Leonie Wenz
Competition team: partners / designers: Rem Koolhaas, David Gianotten, Ole Scheeren, and senior architects: André Schmidt, Mariano Sagasta and 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
Local architect: Artech Architects
Theatre consultant: dUCKS scéno, CSI
Interior designer: Inside Outside
Landscape designer: Inside Outside
Acoustic consultant: DHV
Structural engineer: Arup Structure, Evergreen
MEP engineer: Arup MEP, Heng Kai, IS Lin
Fire engineer: Arup Fire, TFSC
Lighting consultant: Chroma 33
Facade engineer: ABT, CDC
Sustainability consultant: Arup Building Physics, Segreene
Geotechnical engineer: Sino Geotech
Traffic consultant: EECI Traffic
Model: Vincent de Rijk, RJ Models
Animation: Artefactory