Kaohsiung Music Center

In 2009, the Executive Yuan recognized the need to establish a music center in Kaohsiung. The Council for Cultural Affairs then commissioned Kaohsiung City Government to plan, design, and construct the center.^[2] The center was officially opened on 31 October 2021 in a ceremony attended by President Tsai Ing-wen and Culture Minister Lee Yung-te.^[3][4]

The center was designed in 2011 by the Spanish architecture team MADE IN Architects, a group created specifically for this competition and led by architect Manuel Monteserin. The team was initially composed of Manuel Monteserin, Javier Simó, Beatriz Pachón, María Mallo, Guiomar Contreras, Nacho Álvarez Monteserin, Antonio Alejandro, Alicia Domingo, Luis Marcos, Beatriz Crespo, Ismael garcía, Iñigo redondo, Jorge López, Andrés Infantes and Lain Sarustegui. The subsequent development of the project was carried out by Manuel Monteserin, Beatriz Pachón and Javier Simó, in collaboration with Eddea^[5][6] The project is dedicated to the pop music industry, which holds significant cultural and economic influence in this part of Asia. It comprises an outdoor amphitheater for 10,000 people, a concert hall for 6,000 people, six live houses known as the "Whales," five restaurants connected by an elevated walkway, two towers containing offices, museum spaces, and rehearsal rooms, an exhibition center, and a network of parks and promenades that link the entire site.

The design seeks to produce a heterogeneous architectural landscape, in which each building responds to its specific program and context. During the design phases the team assigned names to the different architectures, such as the "Whales" and the "Dolphins." These names were later adopted by the citizens of Kaohsiung, who now refer to the buildings in the same way.

A key objective from the competition stage was the creation of new public spaces that function independently of performances, integrating the project into the everyday life of the city. In the area of the live houses, the accessible green roofs form gentle hills overlooking the harbor and the sea. In the exhibition center, a large open shaded platform beneath hexagonal structures provides a flexible civic space that can host markets, dance events, theater, and other activities. More than a thousand trees were planted, creating a large park at the mouth of the Love River, with the expectation that the tropical humid climate will foster abundant vegetation in the coming years.

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  Kaohsiung Music Center under construction in 2017 from Pier 2 Art District
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  Kaohsiung Music Center under construction in October 2017
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  Kaohsiung Music Center under construction in July 2018
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  Coast Guard Administration Anping-class offshore patrol vessel in front of the Kaohsiung Music Center
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  Kaohsiung Music Center from the water
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  Kaohsiung sunset skyline 2019
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  2024-Kaohsiung Music Center and Rubber Duck
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  Exterior close up
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  Kaohsiung Music Center and Lingyaliao Railroad Bridge lit with Ukrainian flag colors during 2022 Taiwan Lantern Festival
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  Kaohsiung Music Center with sunset photographed from Glory Pier
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  Counterterrorism drill in 2023
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  Kaohsiung Music Center at dusk in 2024
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  Interior
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  Interior