Performance Hall of the Taipei Music Center

By Caterina Testa - 17 December 2020

Although a global phenomenon, pop music comes in many different forms, making it also a highly regional urban genre. Despite the constant mix of sounds, rhythms, influences and styles taking place at the virtual, high-technological level, the production and uptake of pop music is still closely linked to a particular cultural and geographical area.

Aware of the economic importance of musical events and their great popularity - and with an eye to countering the mighty Japanese music industry - Taiwan’s government and Minister of Culture held a competition some 10 years ago for the country’s own music venue. As well as a metropolitan hub for the production and performance of pop music, the Taipei Music Center also had to offer a broad raft of civic services such as cafés, restaurants, and retail, making it a 24-hour venue attracting a wide range of visitors regardless of the particular concerts and shows on the bill.

Nanako Umemoto and Jesse Reiser of New York-based RUR Architecture won the competition with a project for a pop-music hub and entertainment venue attracting people from both Taipei and the surrounding area.

Standing in an area straddling the densely compact city and open countryside on a former industrial brownfield, the Taipei Music Center is made up of three main areas - the Performance Hall, the Creative Area Building, and the Exhibition Hall.

The focal area is the extensive public space for open-air events. Surrounded by cafes, restaurants and retail stores, it forms a contemporary fairground where people, including residents of the fast-developing districts nearby, can come throughout the day. The Creative Area Building and the Exhibition Hall are aligned along an east-west axis and linked by an extensive open public plaza. On the other side of Civic Boulevard and reached by an overhead walkway, the Performance Hall is designed for indoor and outdoor performances, seating 6,000 inside and...