League of Shadows

League of Shadows is a large, outdoor, semi-permanent event structure located within the SCI-Arc campus, at the core of the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles. Strategically positioned at the corner of 4th St. Bridge, the pavilion is both a visual landmark and an institutional beacon, a natural yet strange marquee for SCI-Arc’s mission and culture. When in use functionally, it serves to convert a common parking lot into an event venue for large gatherings, specifically the SCI_Arc graduation ceremony, taking place every year during the first week of September and gathering up to 1,200 people including faculty, students and parents.

Volumetric and graphic, the project is shaped vertically by joined fingering volumes. It offers a dichotomic reading that alternates between an idiosyncratic silhouette from far away to a radiating texture at close range. Its vaulted interior serves as a natural choreography for ceremonies, while it affords the audience with favorable acoustic, visual, and environmental conditions.

The pavilion addresses sustainability through its minimal footprint, which can be magnified to large effect by sound. Its band shell shape acts as a natural backdrop for events, providing students and families with controlled views of the ceremony during graduation in what is otherwise a fully open parking lot. By creating enough shadow to allow for comfortable zones away from the sun, the iconic structure cools at the same time it provides an iconic presence, all while disturbing parking to a minimum when it is not in use.