Architecture studio Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has unveiled its design for the Ulsan Performing Arts Venue, a cultural landmark in South Korea defined by two sweeping ribbons that connect the city to the waterfront.
Proposed as part of an international competition, the project is located at a strategic threshold between Ulsan’s industrial landscape and the Taehwa River. The BIG design uses a pair of undulating roof structures to act as a bridge, conceptually and physically linking the region’s heritage with its future. One ribbon extends toward the urban fabric of the city center, while the other reaches out to the river, creating a dramatic, sculptural silhouette.
The architecture is designed to be highly permeable, breaking away from the typical “black box” theater typology by incorporating a continuous public realm that flows underneath the structure. “The design is defined by two ribbons that extend in opposite directions,” said the studio. “Beneath them, a continuous public realm unfolds across plazas, promenades, and outdoor stages, allowing the building to become a space for gathering.”
The venue will house multiple world-class spaces for performing arts, including an opera house and a concert hall. By elevating the main performance volumes, BIG has freed up the ground plane, creating a series of accessible public spaces that remain open to the city even when no performances are scheduled. Large glass facades are used throughout the Ulsan Performing Arts Venue to ensure visual connectivity between the interior foyers and the surrounding river park.
This focus on social infrastructure is a recurring theme for the Copenhagen-based practice, which often seeks to combine civic programs with recreational landscapes. The project is the latest in a series of major cultural buildings in South Korea by international studios, reflecting the country’s ongoing investment in innovative architecture. If realized, the performing arts hub will join a growing list of global landmarks by BIG that redefine the relationship between private institutions and public life.