Dynamic Constructions

We take a journey across borders to marvel at architectural feats that are moving in more ways than one.

In the 1960s, the architecture world anticipated a time when buildings could respond to the mobility and transformability of a new, globalised reality. It seems like the time is now. More than just products of technological developments, these buildings around the world can adapt to specific needs as well as environmental factors, celebrating the only constant in life – change.

THE SHED

An arts centre dedicated to commissioning, producing and presenting performing arts, visual arts, and popular culture, The Shed is designed to physically transform to support the artists’ most ambitious ideas. Officially opening its doors this April in New York, the eight-storey building has an outer shell that can be deployed over an adjoining plaza to double the building’s footprint for large-scale performances, installations, and events. Inspired by the industrial past of the High Line and the West Side Railyard, The Shed’s mobile exterior can glide along rails, creating a 17,200 sq ft light, sound and temperature-controlled hall to accommodate a capacity of either 1,200 seated or 2,700 standing audiences. When not in use, the shell rests over the building, and the 19,500 sq ft plaza becomes an open public space that can be used for outdoor programmes. The brainchild of Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Rockwell Group, The Shed is designed to be highly adaptable to cater to various media, technology, and needs of artists.

SHANGHAI THEATRE