TAIWAN (CelebrityAccess) The world’s largest performing arts center, the National Kaoshiung Cnter for the Arts, opened in Taiwan Oct. 13.
The PAC, designed by Mecanoo, is composed of five performance spaces under a single roof that measures 35 acres, according to ArchDaily.
The venue is part of a subtropical park in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaoshiung, bult on a former military training base, ArchDaily said. Its location is to symbolize the city’s transition from a major international harbor to a “rich, diverse, cultural hub.”
The facility took 15 years and $346 million to build. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen praised the center at the opening ceremony, saying it is a statement of the government’s intent to bring the once-restricted military sites into the public realm.
“Weiwuying is one of Mecanoo’s most ambitious buildings and embodies all the key elements of our philosophy,” Francine Houben, founding architect, Mecanoo, reportedly said. “Inspired by the beauty of the local Banyan trees with their iconic canopies of leaves, the vast, undulating structure is composed of a unique skin and roof under which generous free spaces can flow. We have aimed to deliver a flagship cultural destination for Taiwan, a beacon to attract performers and audiences from around the world.
