THE NATIONAL KAOHSIUNG CENTRE FOR THE ARTS, MECANOO
MECANOO STEALS THE SHOW WITH SWOOPING OPULENT DESIGN Designed by Mecanoo, The National Kaohsiung Centre for the Arts symbolises the transformation of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. What was once a major international harbour is now a modern, diverse city with a rich cultural climate. The design is located on a former military site, as an integral part of the adjacent subtropical park and has a positive social impact on the residents of Kaohsiung, whose population counts almost three million. MECANOO
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he open, protective shape of the local banyan tree becomes a springboard for The National Kaohsiung Centre for the Arts’ design. The trees’ iconic, wide crowns provide shelter against sun and rain and are a perfect expression of Kaohsiung’s humid atmosphere. In the city, the building’s expansive sheltered crown becomes the FC&A – APRIL – 2021
Banyan Plaza, a generous, sheltered, partially-enclosed public space. Designed with the subtropical climate in mind, the open structure allows the cooling wind to blow freely through. Between the four formal performance halls, which form the ‘trunks’ that support the undulating roof, a topography rising from ground level to 5m+ becomes part 14
of the park’s landscape. Residents can wander here day and night, practise Tai Chi or stage street performances along walkways and informal spaces. An openair theatre nestles on the roof where the structure curves to the ground, with the surrounding park forming the stage. The seamless flow between interior and exterior creates opportunities for crossovers between formal and informal performances. The vast, undulating structure is composed of a skin and roof and connects an extensive range of functions. The curved steel structure was built in cooperation between a local and a Dutch shipbuilder. The centre’s iconic canopy – a billowing plane of architectural fabric akin to a tectonic plate – forms the conceptual foundation of the project. This undulating roof is a marvel of structural engineering,
