Commissioned by the Taipei City Government in 2009, the project was led by Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect and OMA founding partner Rem Koolhaas alongside OMA managing partner David Gianotten. Their goal was for the center to stand out from “standardized” contemporary theaters in major cities around the world, and it looks like they’ve achieved it.

Located at Taipei’s vibrant Shilin Night Market, the complex includes a Public Loop that’s free to access, so visitors can tour the interior even if they aren’t there to see a performance. It starts in the landscaped plaza outside and runs through the infrastructure and performing arts production spaces that are typically hidden. Portal windows open to view inside the three theaters.

“The configuration of three theaters plugged into a central cube has resulted in new internal workings of the performing spaces to inspire unimagined productions,” says Gianotten. “The Public Loop exposes visitors with and without tickets to these new works and their creative processes. We are excited by how the building constantly generates new relationships between artists, spectators, and the public.”

Rather than having a front and back like a typical performing arts center, OMA’s creation features multiple facades defined by the protruding volumes. The way these monumental metallic elements interact almost makes the complex look like a spaceship that crash-landed into the heart of Taipei. The 840-seat Blue Box theater, the 1,500-seat Grand Theater, and the spherical 800-seat Globe Playhouse all have mysterious opaque facades, appearing to be “docked” against the animated and illuminated central cube clad in corrugated glass.

The entire building is lifted off the ground, creating a public plaza underneath. Up until now, its true form has been disguised by the scaffolding clinging to its exterior during the construction process. But upon its completion, we can finally get a sense of how surprisingly light and otherworldly it appears, with the three dramatic theaters seeming to float.

“This new building not only presents itself to the world as a brand new and unique configuration of theater complexes, it also sits perfectly in its location — right at the center of where the plebeian life of Taipei happens,” says Kris Yao, founder of KRIS YAO | ARTECH, the Taiwanese design collaborating architect. “It’s informal, unpretentious, and raw architecture spaces echo the spirits of how citizens of Taipei approach art.”

“Theater has a very long tradition,” explains Koolhaas of OMA’s vision. “We have seen contemporary performance theaters increasingly becoming standardized, with conservative internal operation principles. We want to contribute to the history of the theater. Here in Taipei, we were able to combine three auditoria in a particular way. We are interested to see how this architecture will have an impact in terms of extending what we can do in theater.”

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Appropriately named “Bamboo Bamboo,” the pavilion is made of the same materials by which it’s surrounded. Architecture firm LLLab has succeeded in creating a sensory experience that elicits a sense of anticipation — a sort of pre-performance meditation as guests make their way to the outdoor theater.

The pavilion offers a place to retreat from the sun and frequent rains, stretching out a full 140 meters (459 feet) along the river. Lanterns set at various intervals create a soft, warm glow after dark, and in some areas, cutouts in the roof allow living bamboo to grow unencumbered. Amazingly, this canopy was hand-woven by local craftspeople using a technique that eliminates the need for any glue or nails. The result is remarkably nest-like, with support pillars hidden behind the woven surfaces.

The further visitors travel into the pavilion, the larger the lanterns become, until you’re eventually able to walk right inside them. In the daylight, they appear solid, but at night, they diffuse the light, creating patterns and shadows that add to the drama of the setting.

The firm explains that “currently, the night show entertains guests in two areas, one at either end of the island site. The entry and pagoda where guests arrive, and the main stage, perched at the bank of the Li river at the other end. Between these two points, little interaction takes place. It is here in this middle ground that two new assemblies of architecture are introduced. The first, woven bamboo lantern structures, scattered where guests circulate, whose purpose is to guide and intrigue. Then the other, a stretch of woven canopy amongst clusters of bamboo, providing an area to walk sheltered from regular rainfall. In these, the architecture relies on bamboo not only for its composition but also for its constant referral to parts that constitute the place.”

“In acknowledgment of the theatrical spirit of the Impression Sanjie Liu, moments of performance make its way into many parts of the design: the hand weaving and bamboo playing off the tension of one another. The topography of the canopy ceiling dancing between columns of bamboo as if unsupported. Even the way guests are intended to move from lantern to lantern, in a narrative of interaction. Together these subtle hints encourage a particular frame of mind, readying the guest for the main feature.”

“Impression Sanjie Liu” makes the landscape its backdrop. In fact, this site is considered the world’s largest natural theater, using the waters of the Li River as its stage and the mist-shrouded hills and sky as set dressings. Rain, moonlight, and all the reflections seen in the water play a role in the performance, while the audience stands on viewing terraces. Sound equipment is hidden among the bamboo groves, so it feels like the performance is occurring spontaneously, naturally amplified.

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Set on five acres of land at the back of a gated community, the home is one of Legorreta’s only private residences in Los Angeles. Listing agent Judy Federal of Hilton & Hyland Real Estate told Robb Report that the owners are architecture lovers who also have two Frank Lloyd Wright homes.

The owners collaborated with the architect to create a spacious residence with unexpected elements, like a sun-drenched central atrium containing a reflecting pool. One of them has been revealed to be Hollywood producer Joel Silver, who’s known for action movie franchises like Die Hard, The Matrix, and Lethal Weapon.

“We are presenting a unique, stunning Signature Architectural home on approx. five acres west of the 405,” reads the listing. “This ~25,000 sq. ft. home has never been seen or photographed until now. High-end finishes and design are extraordinary and custom throughout. The house boasts the finest screening room in the city, with a most unique circular double-entry atrium and reflection pool w/ travertine columns. Additional features include: gym w/ wet & dry sauna, library, office, outdoor heated dining area, pool, [and] a jacuzzi.”

“The inspiring custom kitchen has two great islands, including 6 burners, salamander, plancha, grill, deep fryer, and three ovens. An invitation upstairs reveals 30-foot ceilings and soaring walls, capped by a lavish motorized skylight. 2 master bedrooms, baths, walk-in closets, and a living room complete the master area. Three additional en suite bedrooms are accompanied with a large children’s playroom upstairs. This secure, guard-gated community is extremely private, and the property is also gated.”

The home has eight bedrooms and eight full baths, many featuring 100-year-old ceiling beams taken from Connecticut churches and barns. One standout detail is the living room’s stunning adobe-red ziggurat ceiling, which is shaped like an inverted pyramid, with a spherical chandelier hanging from the center.

Circle and square shapes repeat throughout the mansion, appearing in embossed leather wall motifs in the 20-person theater and within the pool, mezzanine, and skylight of the atrium. The master suite features so-called “his and hers” bathrooms, each adorned floor-to-ceiling in a different type of marble. Murals can be seen throughout many of the rooms.

Ricardo Legorreta, a protégé of Mexican modernist Luis Barragán, founded his own studio in 1964 and was later joined by his son Victor. In 2000, their firm became Legorreta + Legorreta, adding to the many projects Ricardo had designed himself over the decades. Among his most famous works are Pershing Square in Los Angeles, the San Antonio Central Library, and the Camino Real Hotel in Mexico City, all of which feature sculptural forms and vivid hues like red and bright pink.

$77.5 million is a lot of money, even for the elites of Los Angeles, but of course, the buyer wouldn’t simply be purchasing a home in this case — they’d be taking ownership of a piece of cultural history, and arguably, a colossal work of art.

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The Designer’s Vision

Steven Chilton, leader of London’s world-renowned Steven Chilton Architects, was inspired by the Sea of Bamboo national park in nearby Yixing, the largest bamboo rainforest in China, in his design concept for the theater.

Representing an abstract impression of a bamboo forest, Chilton wanted to replicate the feeling of the forest to his audiences experienced as they witnessed the magnificent water show. He explains that he “[hopes] the audience found a connection with the architecture that resonates with them emotionally. Wandering through the Sea of Bamboo forest on the edge of Wuxi will be a common memory for many visitors, and we hope the experience of visiting the theater will [also] prove to be evocative and meaningful.”

Bringing the Elements Together

The circular theater is over 104 feet tall and made up of three key components: the columns, the shade canopy, and the building envelope. The columns are further abstract representations of the bamboo forest, each one painstakingly positioned around the perimeter of the structure to create a screen between the building facades and adjacent landscape.

The columns are topped with an awning of leaves to complete their transformation into forest trees, running around the whole of the building at roof level. This canopy consists of an assortment of triangular bays holding rows of gold-anodized aluminum louvers. The slats are arbitrarily arranged to create a natural pattern of light and shade that dances around the building throughout the day. Each cove of louvers is also positioned at different perspectives to amplify the the illusion of their being a real-life canopy. Every bay of slats is held up by a triangular lattice configuration that supports the tops of the columns and shifts their load onto the main structure of the building.

The shade canopy and columns also serve the eco-friendly purpose of casting a gentle shadow over the building that inertly lowers the structure’s cooling load.

The building envelope is chiefly made up of painted block-work and curtain wall glazing. This glazing extends the total height of the building in and above the entrance hall to afford the greatest all-around views of nearby public areas. White and gold stripes on the envelope lightly illuminate the theater’s full length at night, bringing an added air of magic to the already-spellbinding forest of columns.

The 2000-seat Wuxi Taihu Show Theatre opened on December 22nd, 2019 and is expected to keep showcasing Dragone’s water show for the indefinite future.

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Of course, the real problem here is buildings that are showy with no meaning connected to their surrounding context. Then there’s buildings like the new Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong, which has quickly become a radiant example of both imagery and substance.

Since January of 2019, Hongkongers have been invited, by the building itself, to experience this new home for traditional Chinese Xiqu opera in the city’s new arts and culture district, West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD). Indeed, the new building is decidedly cube-like, with curved edges and a facade that resembles the curtains on a stage. At each corner, the curtain wall, a name that carries both technical and symbolic meaning, is pulled back to allow light from the interior to shine outwards, thereby creating an alluring beacon for the public. The center is also meant to be contemporary take on the Chinese Moon Gate.

The firm responsible for the project, Revery Architecture (formerly Bing Thom Architects), designed the silky exterior because they were inspired by the costumes worn by xiqu performers and traditional Chinese lanterns. Within the modular system of bays that make up the “curtains” are 13,000 scales, each cut from extruded aluminum pipe by a CNC machine. The scales were then given their distinct texture using glass beads and connected to frames by stainless steel brackets.

Fabricating the scales, building a mock-up to test them, transporting them to the site, and installing them as a curtain wall was a delicate process that took eight months. In that respect, the seven-story building itself is kind of a performance, with a facade emblematic of curtains hiding the performers as they prepare for a show.

Unlike most performing arts space, the parts of the Xiqu Centre that are accessible to the public are expansive, going way beyond a simple foyer and ticket booth lounge. A large 65-foot-high gate draws the public inside, directing them to a voluminous atrium for exhibitions, workshops, and other public events related to educating people on Xiqu culture. To top it all off, this atrium is open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The reason that the architects were able to create a 21,000-square-foot, naturally-ventilated interior public space is because the center’s main hall, the 1,073-seat Grand Theatre, is suspended 90 feet above the plaza below by six thick columns and two 20-foot-deep roof trusses. The position of the Grand Theatre has two functions: first, to reduce vibration and noise from the surrounding infrastructure, such as the nearby subterranean high-speed train; and second, to make the building more accessible to the public by creating spaces for programming around the atrium, such as classrooms and stores.

The Xiqu Centre plays a dual role of performer and stage: a work of architecture performing a cultural artform that dates back to the Ming dynasty of a few hundred years ago, and the canvas for its own expression. A contemporary home for an ancient heritage.

The post Pulling Back the Xiqu Centre’s Spectacular Curtain Wall first appeared on Dornob.

Of course, the renovation of the Parkway Theater only makes up a small part of the mass regeneration that’s taking place in Baltimore’s dwindling downtown area, though it will undoubtedly contribute to the cultural renaissance the city is currently experiencing in terms of music, art, and food. The 1,100-seat theater originally closed in 1978, lying dormant until the Maryland Film Festival acquired the property (as well as three other nearby buildings) and set about transforming it into a new hub for culture and entertainment.

The theater’s new owners brought Ziger/Snead on board to imagine what a contemporary version of the structure might look like. The firm took their cues from film itself, expanding the idea of storytelling from the silver screen out onto the bricks and mortar of the actual building. They explain, “Films tell stories. If we pay attention, so do buildings. Inspired by many layered stories of the historic Parkway Theater, the design curates an unparalleled movie-going experience.”

Working with the existing structure, the architects extended it to house a 400-seat theater, as well as two smaller 85-seat screening rooms, a bar, and a café. The new building takes up a total of 23,800 square feet, and its construction costs came out to $18.2 million — a huge investment on the part of the developers, but a worthwhile one, as it has given the Maryland Film Festival enough space to create a year-long program of events, screenings, and conferences. The festival has also entered into partnerships with local institutions like the Maryland Institute College of Art and John Hopkins University to allow more organizations to benefit from the new space.

Ziger/Snead’s approach to the design was mainly one of integration. In other words, they wanted to uphold the existing character of the building and allow it to tell its story. While new seating has been introduced into the main auditorium, the walls have been left exactly as they were, exposing their peeling paint and plasterwork and preserving the ornate detailing of their alcoves and cornices, which themselves were designed in the extravagant Italianate style.

All of this “evidence” (as the firm calls it) reveals the history of the theater to movie-goers and reminds them of the building’s previous life, which dates back to the Golden Age of Cinema.

The architects say: “The new SNF Parkway stands as a physical record of the technical and cultural evolution of film from its earliest days to today. The design approach celebrates the accumulated layers of each movie era with intentional contrast to modern interventions. The result is an authentic, rich, vibrant ‘rescued ruin’ that energizes the film complex and anchors its critical location in the heart of the Station North Arts District.”

The theater’s beautiful facade has also been retained and refurbished, while a contemporary new addition abuts the existing building.

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