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Kaohsiung arts center honored with International Architecture Award

  • Date:2020-09-13
Kaohsiung arts center honored with International Architecture Award

The National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts has won an accolade in the Culture and Museums category of the 2020 International Architecture Awards, an honor that celebrates remarkable architecture worldwide, according to the Chicago Athenaeum, the awards' co-organizer.

Located at the site of a former military barracks in Fengshan District, Kaohsiung City, the cultural complex, known as Weiwuying, was designed by Dutch architect Francine Houben whose works are known for blending architecture into its surrounding natural landscapes.

The design drew inspiration from the intertwined roots and branches of the banyan trees growing in the nearby Weiwuying Metropolitan Park. The play of light as it shines through banyan leaves and century-old tree trunks gave rise to a vision of "organic architecture," in which public space breaths in sync with the outdoor activities of its citizens.

With the idea in mind, Houben transformed the former military training base into a distinct cultural center that features graceful curvatures and a large canopy that curves to the ground and blends seamlessly into its surrounding environment.

Officially opened in 2018, the cultural landmark in southern Taiwan offers four indoor performance venues — Lyric Theater, Concert Hall, Playhouse, and Recital Hall — and an outdoor amphitheater next to the metropolitan park.

The formal performance halls are like trunks that extend to form one continuous undulating roof, sheltering a partially enclosed public space: Banyan Plaza, according to the museum's introduction.

Since establishment, the southern Taiwan's flagship arts space has won a series of awards, including International Space Design Award IDEA-TOPS in 2017 and the Architizer A+ Awards in 2019. It was named among the "World's 100 Greatest Places" by TIME magazine in 2019.

In addition to Weiwuying, architectures in Taiwan honored with the awards include private residences in Kaohsiung and Taitung, Xiafu Activity Center in New Taipei City, and JCA Living Lab in Taipei City.

The Chicago Athenaeum, together with The European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and Metropolitan Arts Press, Ltd. have since 2004 organized the awards to celebrate the significant and new architectures and planning projects worldwide.

The awards honored more than 125 buildings and planning projects from 38 countries this year.