Our competition entry for the Taipei Performing Arts Center, developed in collaboration with SWA Group and Charles Salter Associates, reimagines the relationship between public space, performance, and the surrounding Shilin Night Market.

The concept, “大餅包小餅” (Da Bing Bao Shiao Bing), draws inspiration from a traditional Shilin street food in which a large flat “cookie” wraps around a smaller filled one. Architecturally, the “big cookie” represents an open and inclusive public realm, while the “small cookie” represents the controlled spaces of the theaters and their supporting functions. Wrapping public space around these cultural cores creates an interplay between openness and intimacy, everyday urban life and performance.

At street level, shops, stalls, and pedestrian passages extend the activity of the Shilin Night Market into the building. The Grand Theater and Proscenium Theater are elevated above this public realm, preserving a porous ground plane while creating opportunities for natural ventilation. Interconnected circulation routes lead visitors from the market through the theater lobbies and upward to a landscaped rooftop park overlooking Taipei.

The building envelope was conceived as an adaptive “smart skin.” During the day, it provides solar shading and incorporates energy-generating technology; at night, it transforms into an illuminated surface that reveals the activity within and engages the surrounding entertainment district. The theater fly towers become luminous landmarks within the Taipei skyline.

Sustainability is integrated into the architectural concept through passive shading, natural ventilation, renewable energy strategies, and a substantial green roof. Rather than treating the performing arts center as an isolated cultural object, the proposal connects architecture, landscape, commerce, and public life to create a civic destination rooted in the character of its neighborhood.