National Taichung Theater Introduction
The National Taichung Theater features a cutting-edge design based on the concept of "Sound Cave," incorporating unique elements such as curved walls, apertures, and tubular structures. The entire building lacks any column supports, and none of the walls are at 90 degrees, defying conventional architectural norms. After years of construction, a theater that coexists with people and nature is set to emerge in Taichung. The graceful curves nurture the anticipation of many, while the glass facade reflects the blue sky, surrounded by green spaces and flowing water, creating an urban paradise. The theater's facade, resembling a curvaceous wine jug, invites audiences to become intoxicated by its captivating performances, marveling at the endless possibilities of art. Its façade is adorned with multiple cylindrical windows, projecting elegance and warmth under nighttime lighting. This is a cradle of performing arts, a space for leisure and knowledge acquisition, and the starting point for cultural renewal in Central Taiwan. This is the National Taichung Theater. Beautiful things require thorough preparation, especially a venue that internalizes art and culture into life. In 1992, the Department of Education of the Taiwan Provincial Government planned the "National Taichung Music and Arts Center," later renamed "National Concert Hall," aiming to establish an internationally acclaimed performing arts center in Taiwan. The venue's size and name underwent meticulous revisions, and in 2005, the Executive Yuan's Council for Cultural Affairs (now the Ministry of Culture) officially approved the construction of the "Taichung Metropolitan Opera House." With the construction project confirmed, the venue's architecture was decided through an international competition involving architectural teams from 13 countries, including Taiwan, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, in two phases. Ultimately, Japanese architect Toyo Ito emerged as the winner. With a clear outline for the building established, long-term preparation had already garnered sufficient momentum to set the operational direction of the opera house as an internationally recognized venue. From the initial design to the completion of construction, the opera house underwent the test of time and challenges. During the competition phase, Toyo Ito employed avant-garde design perspectives, challenging existing thought patterns, while contemplating the building's form in advance and integrating the stage within the curved walls based on performance characteristics. The second phase focused on spatial efficiency, examining feasible structural designs and innovating the connection between the large and medium theaters' lobbies. Eventually, based on the internal visual and auditory experiences of the opera house, the flow was fine-tuned to emphasize the interaction between "people" and space, highlighting the artistic energy that resonates within the "Sound Cave." The laughter, sorrow, and emotion presented in performing arts were thus enhanced and magnified. The National Taichung Theater features 58 curved walls, each composed of 1,372 small panels, each custom-made and impossible to mass-produce, constituting an enormous project requiring precise calculations. Due to the extreme difficulty of constructing the National Taichung Theater, it has been dubbed "the world's most difficult building to construct" by the architectural industry, and the "curved wall" construction method has garnered global patent certification. The theater's internal space includes a large theater (2,007 seats), a medium theater (794 seats), a small theater (200 seats), as well as an underground parking lot and related public spaces, with landscape design surrounding the building collectively planned around the concept of the Sound Cave. The 2,014 seats within the opera house ensure that every audience member experiences the same auditory feast, with no visual obstructions, allowing every seat to see the stage. Spaces resembling treehouses or caves do not lead people back to the past but instead utilize modern technology and materials to liberate hard and cold environments, transforming the stark city outline into a soft realm filled with life force. The surrounding flowing water and open imagery of the sky garden break down the binary distinction between stage and audience and indoors and outdoors, restoring modern people's gradually lost environmental sensitivity and creating more possibilities for dialogue between people, architecture, and art. The "greatness" of architecture does not lie in how much steel, concrete, and glass are used to construct gigantic outlines. In the past, people relentlessly pursued the tallest and grandest buildings to prove the possibility of human triumph over nature. Today, however, there is an effort to find principles for coexistence with nature and the environment, returning to the fundamental aspect of life—the feelings of "people." Everyone inherently desires to share stories, listen to music, move their bodies to the rhythm of dance, and appreciate the supreme beauty of traditional arts. These are what the National Taichung Theater takes pride in as its "greatness." Coexisting with nature, fluid spaces gently embrace humanistic arts. The curved walls, resembling bones, and the translucent glass facade allow natural sunlight to pour in, with the wind flowing easily. At night, these apertures radiate a warm glow outward, giving birth to the theater's breath and life. Additionally, the National Taichung Theater features a park, with the park's drainage extending into the building, breaking the boundaries between indoors and outdoors.
