The 12-story theatre machine, and other incredible architecture

The construction of the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas was recently completed. Among its impressive, beautiful venues is the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre—literally a theatre machine. Components of the theatre, including stages, floors, scenery, and seating, are stored above and below the auditorium; they can be moved and rearranged for each performance, effectively switching between different types of theatres.

To see a short animation that explains this, go to this page and choose video 5 from the list (I can’t link directly to the video).

Several years ago, Joshua Prince-Ramus, one of the architects of this building, presented at TED about this project along with two other incredible architecture projects. All three buildings are novel not just because they look novel, but because of the way the design goals, the needs, and the cultural challenges that defined each project became part of the building’s physical form.

Joshua Prince-Ramus on Seattle’s Library

While I’m on the topic of architecture, here is a short video about MVRDV, a Dutch architecture firm that has produced many unusual-looking buildings with the goal of maximizing the use of space: MVRDV on Dutch Design Profiles