Department of Cultural Affairs

The Taipei Performing Arts Center was named the most innovative building of the year by CNN, praised by The Guardian as the best building of the year, and was included in Time magazine’s 2021 list of the world’s 100 greatest places. 

This world-class landmark was designed by an international team. Following a global design competition, the project was awarded to the Rotterdam-based Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), led by co-founder and Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate Rem Koolhaas. Koolhaas’s design elevates the center’s ground level, creating a sense of wonder and even fantasy.

The building’s façade features 1,200 curved glass panels that strike a unique balance between transparency and opacity. The panels allow light to pass through, creating a sense of openness, while their curved structure obscures what is inside, adding a layer of intrigue and privacy. Two of the three theaters can operate independently or be combined into a grand theater with 2,300 seats. Another highlight is the rooftop garden, known as the Stargazing Rooftop Garden. As the name suggests, here visitors can gaze at the stars or take in panoramic views of Jiantan and the entire Taipei Basin.

No. 1, Jiantan Rd., Shilin Dist., Taipei City