The dichotomy between high and low culture is slowly disappearing. But how can we create an environment that is inspiring for everyone? Is it possible to be elitist and populist at the same time? How can we envision a truly Public building?

Square33
The Taipei Performing Arts Center aspires to become accessible for everybody. The principal act performed by the building is to elevate a substantial part of its program. By doing so a public square is created underneath it. As such the square fundamentally becomes part of the building: it is included inside it. This could turn out to be a radical innovation…Go to diagram of the square.

Table for Three
In a way the building could be considered a Table: four ‘legs’ support a horizontal slab. This ‘open’ block measures 110 x 80 meters with a total height of 64 meters. The ‘tabletop’ is 14 meters high and can in principle accommodate 3 stories. Inside you’ll find a kind of Mall; a fragment of the city that is elevated, a public ‘browsing space’ in the sky. This will be the domain for cultural facilities: the multi media library, music stores, galleries, lobbies, bars, restaurants and clubs. A gaming zone and a casino might be exciting additions.

Towers
The ‘legs’ are programmed as well; in fact they are small skyscrapers. All four are different. One has a ‘waist’, with a large plan that narrows half way and widens again. One has an oversized foot; it contains the Proscenium Theater at its base. And then becomes more slender. One is small at the bottom and expands towards the top -here you’ll find the Grand Theater.

Happy View
By lifting the main plateau of the building to a level slightly higher than the adjacent structures, wonderful panoramas are created. It becomes possible to overlook the city and the surrounding hills.

People’s Theater
The additional asset of this gravity-defying operation is the urban void that comes into being. This 3D urban square creates an informal foyer for the building as a whole. There is no interface, no threshold. Come in, we’re open! It is a place for interaction, for performances, for concerts, for markets. It is a square with a ceiling. Rain and Sun automatically are kept out. It is open-air, but covered! Surprisingly the building contains more void than mass; it’s a space-container, a 3D Plaza.

Organization
The three main programmatic elements, the Theatres, are positioned on different altitudes. The Proscenium Playhouse is placed at the base of the southeast ‘Leg’. The Lobby is placed under this theater so that it is flush with the square, activating the space around it. The Multiform Theatre however, is connected to the southwest leg close to the top. The volume of the Grand Theater is suspended under the horizontal slab. It hovers over the square while still being a part of it. Go to programming diagram.

Route
There are many ways to travel through the building. There are elevators, stairs and escalators. It is possible to go in a direct way or to take the scenic route. A detour is rewarding! It is no longer necessary to take the same path on your way out. A System of Loops comes into being. Some of the elevators are oversized. They can be used for transportation of large goods, but also for moving large groups of people at the same time. Many elevators are placed towards the outside. They are not hidden in a core but become part of the performance. Riding them gives you the feeling of being part of an interactive urban environment. They move up and down like ants on the leg of a table. When reaching the top some elevators suddenly move sideways, allowing unexpected horizontal movement: Logistic Entertainment. Go circulation diagrams.