A cavernous, curving new opera house inspired by the human body has been officially opened in Taiwan.
Taichung Metropolitan Opera House, designed by Pritzker Prize winner Toyo Ito, took a decade to complete.
The main structure is formed of several curved walls connected with inlaid floors. This tubular configuration, which does not require support beams, creates a fluid journey through the building.
Located on the second floor of the complex is a 2,000-seat warm red auditorium that will host the venue's main opera performances and can be configured to facilitate the needs of the performers.
Other facilities include an exhibition hall for art works and a sixth floor sky garden.
The striking facade of the building – which features cut-out windows resembling silhouettes of abstract body shapes – outwardly reflects the curves of the interior.
According to Ito, this continuous design is suggestive of the manner in which bodies are connected to nature through sensory organs. The openings in the exterior can represent the building’s eyes, mouth, nose and ears.
A number of high-profile leisure projects are due to follow Ito’s opera house by opening in Taiwan in the next few years. Among them will be the
new Tainan Museum of Fine Arts by Shuigeru Ban, a
man-made public lagoon by MVRDV, a
public library by Mecanoo and a
new branch of Taiwan’s National Palace Museum.
