Taipei Performing Arts Centre
Technical challenge
The central cube-shaped building of the façade is clad on three sides with a corrugated glass façade. At the rear, the cube connects to a rectangular building volume with a façade made of perforated metal plates. The three theaters that ‘hang’ from the central cube are clad with nearly seamless aluminum panels. The corrugated sheets are stacked to a maximum height of 25 meters. To manage this complexity, ABT created structural models in the finite element calculation software SCIA for the corrugated sheets and the steel structure in the façade. The corrugated glass comes from Cricursa, Spain, and was manufactured and installed under the supervision of the company CDC (Curtain wall Design and Construction Inc.) from China. Building a public building in Taiwan was particularly challenging for ABT due to the enormous (typhoon-strength) wind loads. These are about three times as large as in Europe. The shape of the corrugated glass proved to be an economical answer to this. Another challenge was the authorities’ requirement to ensure that the glass would not break during an earthquake. In addition to the laminated glass, ABT also designed flexible connection details that allow movement of the building’s structural frame during an earthquake.
Glass cube core of Taipei Performing Arts Centre
The glass cube essentially connects the different theaters together. S-shaped floor-to-ceiling glass panels in the façades ensure maximum transparency. The panels are mounted on a steel support structure, connected to the main load-bearing structure. On the roof and at the level of the lowest floor, the glass panels are designed to cantilever. The building is further characterized by a large number of voids. To support the glass façade here, a slender steel structure is suspended from the upper floors. This was a complex task, given the many level differences and large spans. The glass façade can withstand a typhoon and an earthquake.
Glass door
In several places, it is possible to access the roofs of the theaters through glass doors. The glass doors consist of steel portals with S-shaped glass infill panels. ABT determined the architectural detailing of these doors. The combination of glass and a slender steel structure makes this a specialized task.
Seamless sphere
Above the main entrance, a sphere protrudes from the cube. The architect wanted this sphere to be seamless. ABT investigated whether this could be achieved by hanging an aluminum façade with a spring system from the underlying structure. When the sphere gets warmer, it expands. When it gets colder, it contracts. The spring-mounted attachment allows the round façade shell to move entirely outward or inward. This sufficiently limits the stresses in the aluminum plate.
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