taipei pop music center breaks ground

the taipei pop music center has officially broken ground, thereby beginning the process of architecturally manifesting the global phenomenon of taiwanese pop music. the winning design by new york based firm reiser + umemoto is divided into three monumental structures that abstract and symbolize distinct programs. the main hall, a large-scale faceted mass, contains a 5000 seat auditorium and serves as the central performance space. with a distinctly fan-shaped exterior, the structure uses glazing and sinuous interior beams to shape the liminal spaces between the expansive auditorium and the circulation-centered spaces outside the building. the hall of fame is housed within an elevated cube that both celebrates and displays the history of pop music. the platonic solid is rendered a lightweight volume with a dynamic envelope that is both circulation and a lit media wall. see designboom’s previous coverage of the winning design here and all of the competition entries here.

overall view of the three place-making buildings

the illuminated, prismatic industry shell is fully fitted with recording studios and rehearsal spaces for the promotion and use of new talent. a generous outdoor plaza, well-suited for impromptu outdoor concerts, is additionally fitted with cafes and restaurants. the complex is veritable micro city both distinct and seamlessly integrated with the urban fabric; using the architectural language of the plinth, a network of elevated walkways tectonically manifests the ebullience that so characterizes popular culture while pragmatically unifying the site over the xinsheng road corridor. each sculpted space is organized around a geometric gesture alight with the saccharine exuberance of the industry it represents all the while sophisticatedly celebrating time– the complex visits past, present and future with an energy, dynamism and liveliness unique to taiwanese pop music.

soaring elevated walkways link the road-divided site