The 2,000-seat concert hall, though, is
the pièce-de-résistance, with vineyard style
seating (‘like a stepped rice field’, says
Houben) that avoids cantilevered balconies,
so every audience member can enjoy the
sound reflection from the ceiling. It boasts
a 9,085-pipe double organ, manufactured by
German experts Orgelbau Klais and shaped
like a bamboo grove. And with solid oak
flooring, oak balustrades, champagne-hued
mohair seating and a contoured ceiling in
beige glass-reinforced gypsum, the entire hall
appears bathed in gold – a fitting metaphor
for a space that hopes to thrust Kaohsiung
into a new cultural golden age.
Come 13 October, this concert hall
will play host to Weiwuying’s inaugural
performance, titled ‘Glittering Sound’ and
bringing together local and international
performances. Houben will be in the audience
with her entire family. Happily, opening
celebrations are not restricted to the lucky
few who score tickets – there’s a public party
that evening in the amphitheatre, perched
on the roof overlooking Weiwuying
Metropolitan Park.
The cost of the building came in at
$278m, exactly on budget and a third
of the price of Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie.
‘We didn’t compromise on the important
things – the core of the building is strong.
Later on, if they have more money, they can
make it fancier,’ says van der Steen. The
investment is already paying dividends,
considering the star-studded programme
that Weiwuying has put together, including
the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and
Canadian national treasure Robert Lepage,
while Taiwan’s premier dance troupe
Cloud Gate will also appear. For the most
enthusiastic audience members, there is a
‘Weiwuying Unlimited’ membership available
at NTD25,000 ($820) a year, including access
to every show on the calendar. Weiwuying
is way more than a grand-standing statement:
it is an attempt to create an accessible and
vibrant new cultural hub. ∂
The National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts opens
on 13 October, npac-weiwuying.org ; mecanoo.nl
Architecture