At university graduation ceremonies, a marquee is erected in Dunedin's Harrop St for informal celebrations after the official function in the Town Hall.
Design lecturer Gavin O'Brien asked his students to design a site-specific alternative tensile structure that would give a sense of light to a heavy space.
The structure needed to reflect the celebratory nature of graduation day, something which, he believed, the current marquee set-up did not achieve.
"You want it to be something special after four to five years [of study]," he said.
Designs were produced by five different groups using a range of materials and techniques.
Mason Griffiths and Josie Brough, who created a canvas and steel or bamboo structure, enjoyed the project because it was one of the first that had a physical place with which to work.
Rikke Hanker thought it would be great for a "new and fresh-looking" aspect to be brought to graduation in the form of the layered, woven canvas design she created with Penelope Wood, Alex Mitchell, Constance Jackson and Olivia Galletly.
Mr O'Brien believed the designs were worthy of consideration by the university because the initial cost to make them would be offset by hiring the structure for other events, and savings on marquee hire.
University director of academic services John Price commended the students for their innovation.
He said that while arrangements were in place at present, "a new design might be something we could look at in the future".
