National Taichung Theater

Toyo Ito designed the Taichung theatre around a geometry he called the Sound Cave: fifty-eight curved concrete shells joined into a continuous lattice so that walls become ceilings and floors without a right angle anywhere, which took years to work out how to build. It opened in 2016 with three auditoriums, and the public areas, a rooftop garden and a cafe are open to anyone. Standing in the foyer is the point as much as any performance.

Background

The theatre stands in the 7th Redevelopment Zone of Xitun District and covers an estimated 57,685 square metres. Toyo Ito designed it with Cecil Balmond of Arup AGU. The building contract was signed on 11 November 2009 with 45 months planned for construction, but it opened only in part on 23 November 2014 and officially on 30 September 2016. The grand theatre seats 2,014, and the address is 101 Huilai Road, Section 2.

Source: Wikipedia, "National Taichung Theater"

What's there

• The curved shells - fifty-eight concrete surfaces joined without flat walls or right angles.
• The public foyer - the interior lattice, open to walk through without a ticket.
• The rooftop garden - a terrace above the building with a water feature.
• The three halls - the grand theatre, playhouse and black box inside.

When to go

Year round; the building keeps daily public hours and closes on Mondays. Evenings around performances are when it is liveliest. The rooftop is best in the late afternoon.

What to expect

The auditoriums are only seen with a performance ticket or on a booked tour. The public areas are limited in extent. The building has had waterproofing problems that periodically close sections.

Nearby

Taichung's Xitun district surrounds it, and the Wufeng Lin mansion is southeast.

Key facts