Taipei's Newest Arts Venue Has An Incredible Spherical Concert Hall

It may be seven years overdue, and another year away, but this jaw-dropping performing arts centre designed by OMA is set to put Taipei on the map as an international cultural hub.

It’s hard to miss Taipei Performing Arts Center’s protruding Proscenium Playhouse – a space age-looking spherical auditorium that seems to float above the new plaza below.

The spherical theatre hangs over a new public plaza

According to its architects at OMA, the aluminium playhouse has been designed to provide “new and experimental theatrical possibilities”.

The complex’s two other performing spaces, the Multiform Theatre and the asymmetrical Grand Theatre, can also be combined to create one spectacular 100-metre-long arena that will allow conventional works to be re-imagined on an epic scale.

“The theatres plug into a central cube, which consolidates the stages, backstages and support spaces into a single and efficient whole,” explained OMA.

The project began in 2009 and is due to be completed by 2020

Led by Rem Koolhaas, the architecture practice won a competition to design the 50,000-square-metre cultural centre in 2009. A primary focus of the project is to “engage the broader public” by making performances more accessible to everyone.

The Public Loop winds its way through the building, giving passers-by a sneak peek of backstage areas and ongoing performances and an insight into the theatre-making process that’s usually hidden from view.

The external theatres ‘plug into’ the central cube

Due to be completed in 2020 – seven years later than planned – the centre promises to be an incredible space in which to develop performing groups from Taipei as well as big-name acts.

Across the globe, spherical buildings seem to be having a moment. At the heart of Renzo Piano’s design for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles is a floating glass-topped dome and London-based firm Populous has a state-of-the-art music venue in the city’s East End in the pipeline that’s already been dubbed the Golf Ball.

The Public Loop will allow passers-by to engage with live performances

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.