National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts

The world's largest arts centre under one roof, the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, known as Weiwuying, is a vast performing-arts complex set within a metropolitan park in the Fongshan area of Kaohsiung. Opened in 2018 on the site of a former military base, it brought a world-class cultural venue to southern Taiwan and instantly became one of the city's defining pieces of contemporary architecture.

Its design draws on the banyan tree. Conceived by the Dutch architect Francine Houben, the building takes the form of a single enormous white structure with a fluid, undulating roof, its sheltered ground-level plaza modelled on the shady canopy of the old banyan trees that grow across the region. This open, wind-swept space beneath the curving shell is free for the public to wander, doubling as a covered gathering place for the surrounding neighbourhood.

Inside are four grand venues. The centre houses a concert hall, an opera house, a playhouse and a recital hall, together with a striking outdoor amphitheatre that spills down the roof's slope, hosting everything from symphony concerts and ballet to pop performances and community events. Its resident and visiting programmes have made Kaohsiung a serious cultural destination.

For a visit, the surrounding Weiwuying Metropolitan Park and the building's public concourse can be explored freely at any time, while performances require tickets and guided architectural tours are offered on a schedule. It is reached directly by its own metro station, is fully accessible and works well combined with a walk in the park. Even without a show, the sculptural building and its cool, sheltered plaza reward an unhurried look. Wandering beneath the great white canopy, open to the breeze, is an experience unlike any other arts venue in the region.