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Cultural Infrastructure Series III: Wei-Wu-Ying Center for the Arts

  • Date:2016-12-30
Cultural Infrastructure Series III: Wei-Wu-Ying Center for the Arts

From military camp to world-class arts park


The Wei-Wu-Ying Center for the Arts, an upcoming cultural landmark in southern Taiwan, is considered the largest design project in Taiwan. The main construction of the Center was completed in 2012, and the completion of its interior construction and exterior landscaping is scheduled for the end of 2017.


Formerly a military camp, the Wei-Wu-Ying Center is housed in a 64-hectare art park located in the harbor city of Kaohsiung. Plans for its expansion were unveiled in 2004, which kicked off a global architectural competition that attracted hundreds of submissions from around the world.


The winning design, submitted from the Netherlands, includes a 2,260-seat theater hall, a 2,000-seat concert hall, a 1,254-seat theater, a 470-seat recital hall, an experimental theater, outdoor performance venues, car parks, and other public facilities.


Head architect Francine Houben's design idea was inspired by the lush banyan trees in the Wei-Wu-Ying Park. The aerial routes of half-century old trunks created a large canopy of branches that were dotted with lights and shadows. These abstract banyan images has thus given Wei-Wu-Ying an organic theme full of transparency and breathing rhythm.


Construction began in 2010 and the Center is expected to start serving the public by the end of 2017 under the governance of the National Performing Arts Center. A subway line connecting the art park to Kaohsiung's commercial district has also been completed.


By transforming the Wei-Wu-Ying Center into a world-class performing arts facility, the Ministry hopes to bring top artists and performance troupes to southern Taiwan. Aided by designated artistic director Chien Wen-pin, the Center will serve both as an architectural landmark and an art hub that will enrich the cultural scene of the greater Kaohsiung area.



Conductor Chien Wen-pin



Chien Wen-pin is a notable conductor who has helped Taiwan's orchestras gain international fame. As the designated artistic director of the upcoming Wei-Wu-Ying Center for the Arts, he is widely expected to broaden the classical music experience for southern Taiwan concertgoers by systematically organizing music series featuring both local and western classic composers, hosting music forums and concert previews, and releasing books to shape concerts into an immersive learning experience for audiences … (read more)