Oyler Wu Collaborative was once again asked to design the architecture for SCI-Arc‘s graduation ceremony along with other faculty members. The challenge included rethinking the event of the ceremony while keeping the existing pavilion they had previously designed. Essentially, the challenge called for making the existing pavilion new again. Their stage operates as a hybrid of different elements, incorporating into it a large stage with a central podium, seating that is configured much like a bleacher, and a cantilevered shade canopy. While the center of the actual stage is in alignment with the center of the existing pavilion, the overall structure is positioned asymmetrically, with the bleacher and canopy located off axis. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Their approach to the problem was two-fold. The first strategy considered the orientation and flow of the ceremony by reworking the movement of the graduating students, as well as changing the visual focus of the ceremony. They decided to re-orient the audience 180 degrees from the previous year, turning them from facing west toward downtown Los Angeles to facing east toward the quarter-mile long school building that SCI-Arc calls home.
