31 08 2015 In Progress National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts

Archdaily In Progress: National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts

01.09.2015 - Publications

Nico Saieh from Archdaily brings the latest on the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts. The vision and the techniques used to bring life to this mega cultural structure of 141,000 m2 in the city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Friso van der Steen Associate - Manager international projects:

"After we won the competition in March 2007 the biggest question was how we would realise the building, and in particular how we would to manufacture the skin. The covered outside space, a seamless curved canopy would be reminiscent of the Banyan trees found in the park.

We analyzed many materials - stucco, tiles, concrete, membrane – but none were suitable. Not from a technical point of view or a logical point of view. Many of those materials needed a backing, mould or frame. Therefore you would be building the shape twice. We wanted a pure, single material. And I knew we had to look somewhere else.

The building practice was not going to be able to provide the solution yet. It is too reliant on prefabrication, repetition and tolerance. Ships have similar shapes and dimensions as our Banyan Plaza. Ships are seamless and they don’t have repetitive shapes."

Full article at Archdaily

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