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Commencement Ceremony
Commencement Ceremony
Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Commencement Ceremony
Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States
The University of Pennsylvania decided to redesign their annual Commencement Weekend ceremony, re-energizing a program that had become uninspired and had lost an aesthetic focus. The traditional site is Franklin Field, an historic stadium within the campus with space for the unfolding events.The project is to reconsider the presentation of the ceremony, to be both engaging and practical for the 20,000 guests, 5,000 students, faculty and honorees. MGA Partners was responsible for all aspects of the design and documentation of the custom canopy structure, stage, scene, and seating platform. The firm also directed procession choreography and seating layouts, lectern, program artwork, and large-scale graphics printed on fabric.The Commencement Procession winds through the campus into Franklin Field and through the new stage portal, from the University into the world, where the achievement of the graduates and honored guests are publicly recognized and celebrated. The new stage subdivides the vast space of Franklin Field, concentrating the guests in the closed end to create an arena environment. The orientation is west, to the familiar towers of the University in the background, a reminder of this time of transition for the graduates.As a designed object, the stage presents a focus for the excitement of the day. The canopy acts as a mediator of scale between the stadium and the distinguished speakers who stand at the podium. The set is an integrated surface of graphic textiles, with video screens that transmit the content and drama of the ceremony to everyone in the stands.The architecture is temporary because it is erected for a single event, however, it is not disposable. This project is designed as a kit of parts to be re-used for many years. For Penn, it is a practical, economic choice in lieu of rented tents, throwaway carpentry, and multiple vendors. Techtonically, the stage, the scene, and the canopy are a construction of standard and custom steel components designed to be easily assembled and structurally independent of the synthetic turf field.Award for Design Excellence, Philadelphia AIA, 2003Creative Events, Links Books, 2010 Structure Magazine, March 2008 Fabric Architecture, January 2006Chronicle of Higher Education, June 2004
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