Wayfinding research report

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Wayfinding strategy Proximode: URS building

Project report

Cristiana Costin MA Information Design 2016–17 Tutor: Keith Tam Department of Typography & Graphic Communication University of Reading

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Wayfinding

Contents Project brief 4

Discover

URS building 6 Site analysis 12 Stakeholders and users 17 Key insights 22

Transform

Exploring concepts 24 Sign types 27 Graphic elements 30

Make

High-fidelity prototypes 35 Design specifications 40 Conclusion 43

Project brief

Objectives

• To investigate how people navigate environments, examining how wayfinding information interacts with other environmental factors to make a place legible.

• To explore ways for supporting users’ navigation to and within a building, and design a coherent wayfinding system to meet their needs as well as reinforcing the identity of the building.

• To investigate issues that affect the perception and comprehension of graphic information in architectural scale.

• To work with real world constraints (e.g. time, budget) for designing and implementing a wayfinding system.

Scope

Develop a wayfinding system for the building: an overall strategy with a number of interconnected elements and application principles (e.g. a sign family, with other architectural and management suggestions where necessary).

Deliverables

• Reflective report that shows the process and evolution of the overall work, how decisions were made based on research.

• Design document that explains in detail the wayfinding strategy and the design standards of the different components of the system, and principles for implementation.

• Prototypes that are able to demonstrate the design of selected sign types in full-size form, where practical.

Design criteria

• Usability: the signs are visible, legible in its use of typography and pictographic symbols, easily understandable; graphic conventions and plain language are considered along with inclusive design for people with special needs.

• Maintenance: the system is easy to update and maintain; shortterm messages should be considered along with durable and long-lasting material.

• Visual quality: the system is coherent, consistent, functional and manages to be in harmony with the building.

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Wayfinding

Discover

Aims • • • •

Understand the building, its environment and user groups Identify wayfinding principles that apply to the future building Investigate the different needs of stakeholders Develop an user journey that reveals the needed sign types

Actions • • • •

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Identify user groups, personas and scenarios Research existing building structure, decision points and zones Interview with stakeholders Search for similar examples of wayfinding systems planned for campus buildings

Wayfinding

URS building

Introduction

This project was a very interesting design process for me. I had never done anything like it before, even though I had designed sign types for my BA final project. The initial phases, which involved research and building analysis as well as user journeys and strategy concepts, helped me to learn new things and become familiar with the actual steps involved in a wayfinding strategy project.

Working on a real project and a building which we could access and explore made me more responsible and serious because it was not just a simulation game. Indeed, we were forced to tackle real-world constraints such as time, budget, architecture team conversations and presentations in order to develop the wayfinding system. This was extremely meaningful and made it possible to conduct creative explorations in order to find the best solutions related to strategy, materials and costs.

Building analysis

The basis of the project was to investigate issues related to the navigation of the building which affect the perception and comprehension of graphic information; indeed, this helped us as a group to develop a strong strategy for an accessible site. Walking in the URS building for the first time was, for me, like a user journey, as I knew nothing about its architectural details, e.g. the number of entrances, stairs and major rooms.

The secondary building analysis helped me to create a visual of the floor plans which was much better than what we had received from the architects; moreover, I managed to see them from a three-dimensional perspective — something which helped me with steps such as decision points and user journeys.

Throughout every step of the project, we referred to the reading list that was provided for the project and each time we searched for information and content from Passini and P. Arthur, Sign Design Society and other books. At the beginning, we read about strategy, users, decision points, zones, audience, and investigations about how people navigate and interact with the information artefacts and with the other environmental factors; this was followed by research based on different sign types and graphic standards. I noticed that there is a big difference between interior and exterior wayfinding; indeed, with the latter the zoning process is much more complex because an exterior site gives users alternatives for entrances and exits.

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Wayfinding

Figure 1 URS building analysis: blocks, railings, windows, brutalist structured forms.

Before any strategical thinking and sketching, we explored the URS building and took pictures while trying to understand its anatomy in relation to the floor plans that we received from the architectural team. Even though the building was to be modified, we could still understand the height of major elements, the way the lecture theatres are accessed, and how the voids interact with the main corridors.

Figure 2 We observed that corridors are very long, narrow and confusing; moreover, their naming is obscure, using coordinate signs which are not so well known by every user that walks into the building.

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Wayfinding

The URS building, based in the centre of the Whiteknights campus next to the well-known library, is an example of Brutalist architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid-1970s. The heritage building will undergo a refurbishment that will house the School of the Built Environment and the School of Arts and Communication Design, grouped into four departments: • School of Construction Management and Engineering • School of Architecture • Department of Art • Department of Typography and Graphic Communication These four departments are reunited into a single building for future projects which will involve collaboration between the students and interactive teamwork in a creative space. Based on the architectural reports, the redesign of the URS Building will seek to re-imagine the building inside and out as a functional space for its occupants, as well as a welcoming hub for visitors and public events, whilst maintaining the existing architectural geometric brut character that must be treated as a heritage.

Spaces created within the building will need to match the ambition and excellence of the four academic occupiers whilst celebrating the building’s unique structure and heritage. These spaces should be flexible and inspiring to accommodate the needs of students and staff as they learn and teach in a modern 21st-century centre of educational excellence. Externally, the appearance of the building should reflect its prime position at the centre of the Whiteknights campus. The aim for this project is to use the URS building’s uniqueness to provide a new creative and professional environment for design-related activities within the university.

Figure 3 Investigations based on the architectural plans, before and after we visited the actual building; we generated a spider-web diagram that helped us understand user groups that frequent the building on a daily basis or just occasionally.

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Wayfinding

In terms of being able to generate a functional and inclusive wayfinding system, this research is one of the most important phases of the design process, also called the discovery phase. Any project of this kind should focus on the users who are going to practice activities and different kinds of services in the building. As an educational institution, the users who frequent the building are very different in terms of age range, nationality, objectives, and lifestyle in general.

Figure 4 Exploratory sketches about users and their perception of the site.

Figure 5 An important element of the discovery phase is to think about specific audience groups that are going to visit the building.

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Wayfinding

Figure 6 Ordering steps and techniques that could help us develop the project in a natural way, always playing around, mixing and remixing strategies.

According to Arthur and Passini (1992, p. 84), it is ‘never too early to think about wayfinding.’ In the case of the URS building wayfinding project, we are entering into the design process at a later stage than the architects, so parameters including the layout and planning of the space are already set. As information designers, we must analyse the spatial layout so that we are aware of how it functions even if we are not directly involved with dictating its form and circulations system.

We have more of an opportunity to influence the quality of the URS building’s environmental communication: the way it communicates meaning to wayfinders so that they can process spatial information, make decisions and act on them to find their way through space. Analysing URS building’s space according to the layout planning process, Arthur and Passini identify (p. 85), whereby we: • Identify spatial units that comprise a setting • Group these spatial units into destination zones • Organize and link spatial units within destination zones within the setting in its entirety

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Wayfinding

In order to build a cognitive map of a given space, Arthur and Passini explain how users look for information in their environment which helps them establish what components comprise a space and how these components are organised (1992, p. 85). To facilitate this process and support decision-making processes based on the understanding established through the cognitive mapping process, spatial entities must differentiate themselves from their surroundings.

In other words, units within a zone should share some identifiable characteristics, but at the same time all the units in such a zone should be distinguishable from units in other zones (1992, p.

8). Locating information in a certain environment is different from locating it in a book. Whilst walking around, people have an innate ability to scan their visual field and only pick out objects of interest; while the time a person spends fixated on an object is only tenths of a second, that object is retained in a short-term memory bank until it is needed, or is retained longer (1992, p. 34). Because people do not generally have time to fixate on any particular object for an extended period of time, they tend to ignore information which is poorly designed and incorrectly placed.

Figure 7 Preliminary investigation sketches for the public spaces located on the ground floor; I traced on paper the structure from the architectural plans and kept only the important parts, in order to easily visualise key points and paths as well as public vs. private zones.

Figure 8 Beside tracing plans, I also thought about the usual walk a student might take and I tried to identify major decision points and how transitions are made from one floor to another.

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Wayfinding

Site analysis

Existing wayfinding system

The analysis required for the new URS building wayfinding project started on the existing university campus in order to discover insights into the way users can perform certain actions. While the future building will benefit from important interventions, the main architectural structure will remain the same. Even if the building were to be changed in the future, the main aspects and patterns related to wayfinding solutions and user experience could be extracted from this research in order to develop a more efficient circulation system in the future.

Figure 9 There are no directional signs towards it, while the only mention is on the map, although this is too small and unnoticeable.

Figure 10 The main entrance is not visible, while the identification sign is too small and difficult to see; indeed, it is not placed in the same way as other signs for nearby buildings.

Figure 11 At the East entrance of the building, the name URS is not mentioned at all; this gives rise to confusion and the arrows indicate a different type of detail.

Figure 12 The first sign related to the building causes even more confusion, as users cannot identity the location of the first floor. Users find hard to comprehend the organisational principle of the building’s structure.

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Wayfinding

Figure 13 Confusing presentation panel that displays pictures and names of people but there is no mention of any title; I did not understood if they were staff or students that previously graduated the same course.

Figure 14 There is a reception desk but while we researched the building it was empty for more than an hour; the security guard was the one who gave instructions and directional information for lost users Figure 15 This looks like a contradiction between the architecture plans and the signage system; the user is on the first floor but the arrow indicates the second floor.

Figure 16 This white sign is a proof that shows the need of the staff to add more signs because the circulation system is very hard to understand; these signs seem to be placed exactly in those tricky decision points that we also observed.

Figure 17 This sign should be mounted on the outdoor walls of the building for a manner of efficiency and functionality.

Figure 18 The toilet identification signs are mislabelled and the contradictory information is generating stress and insecurity.

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The analysis required for the new URS building wayfinding project started on the existing university campus in order to discover insights into the way users can perform certain actions. While the future building will benefit from important interventions, the main architectural structure will remain the same. Even if the building were to be changed in the future, the main aspects and patterns related to wayfinding solutions and user experience could be extracted from this research in order to develop a more efficient circulation system in the future.

Spaces can articulate differentiation through architectural form and volume, colours, materials, finishes, light, and graphics, landmarks, and the atmosphere created by human activities and behaviours. For example, according to the proposed renovations for the URS building, the main entrance will open into a highceilinged, glassed-in atrium used for shared exhibitions.

This space will have a more open-plan form, with additional natural light and a greater volume than the corridors and enclosed spaces which comprise the rest of the building; indeed, the rest of the building is built, for the most part, out of a red-brown cement with structural concrete beams breaking up views to enclosed light tunnels and windows to the outside.

Wayfinding

On the proposed plans, the space does not appear to feature seating; as such, unlike the adjoining cafe and shop space, it encourages people to linger only while remaining standing and functions primarily to guide people to the rest of the building via the prominent ‘feature’ staircase and lift, both of which are immediately visible upon entering.

Figure 19 These sketches were generated while exploring different key zones throughout the building; each floor is unique so hot spots are not positioned in the same way, from a vertical perspective.

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Figure 20 After sketching the skeleton and the main zones from an aerial perspective, I had to see how these zones look when they are stacked; this step helped a lot the evolution of the project.

The atmosphere of the shared exhibition space will differ from other spaces in the building because of its openness and functionality as a thoroughfare to the rest of the building. As a shared, public-facing space, it will have some characteristics in common with the cafĂŠ, but mainly will have a more formal vibe. As a space which lacks chairs and facilitates movement, it will share certain characteristics with other circulation spaces, e.g. corridors.

Accordingly, it will differ from individual, private offices in enclosed spaces. To define a wayfinding strategy, we must first identify the entrances, the stairs, and lifts, along with the primary destinations Figure 21 After the initial sketches I did a new series, more detailed and with colours that match certain departments or activities; because there are four department united, it has hard to identify patterns without colours and overlaps.

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Wayfinding

We can group the spaces in the URS building into destination zones by analysing them in a similar manner and grouping them in a bubble diagram according to the need for human contact or privacy, information exchange, or sharing of services associated with each space (Passini, p. 86).

Figure 22 The floors are very different from one another, especially the position of key locations like toilets and public rooms; for a building that is quite big, I think that the number of toilets is small.

However, a more user-oriented approach will consider destinations as specific facilities. For instance, in the URS building, users may consider potential destinations like a particular type of teaching space (e.g., seminar rooms, classrooms, or lecture theatres), wash-rooms, or a type of office (e.g., academic staff offices or PhD offices). The URS building features a mix of such destination types on each floor, although for the most part departmental spaces are grouped together.

As such, ascribing spaces zones according to academic department and vertical access may be more helpful to users. No ‘studio area’ of the building is clearly articulated in the spatial layout, and so a user who wants to find a studio in the Typography department would be better served by locating the area of the building that features a variety of facility types associated with that departmental destination zone. On the other hand, common areas open to the public, such as the shared exhibition space and cafe/store, are located proximally, and thus more easily comprise a facility-based zone. The URS building’s spaces defy easy zoning classification because department and facility types are distributed throughout, although the space is very clearly divided by level.

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Wayfinding

Figure 23 The next step for the iterations was to transform into a digital form the 2D plans I sketched on paper and then add symbols for key locations, stairs, doors just to visualize the easiest way to get from one destination to another.

As Passini mentions in his book, Wayfinding design: logic, application and some thoughts on universality, the three-dimensional characteristics of a setting help the user to develop a cognitive map based on simple, basic rules like: ‘A first principle is based on geometric laws establishing spatial relations such as symmetries, hierarchies, orthogonal networks etc. These laws, if they are understood, provide the user with a rule to mentally structure settings into coordinate maps. A second principle is based on geometric forms or Gestalt such as a T, L etc. Many buildings have such simple geometric forms. Given that they describe spatial relations independent of a person’s movement along a route, they also lead to coordinate maps. The two principles are not exclusive. Settings organized according to a geometric law, often also express a strong geometric form.” (p. 345) According to a study called Up the down staircase: Wayfinding strategies in multi-level buildings, Weisman identifies four general classes of environmental variables that shape wayfinding situations: visual access, the degree of architectural differentiation, the use of signs and room numbers, and floorplan configuration.

(Meilingera et al., p. 297). These variables did, indeed, shaped a lot our design strategy and the floorplan configuration was a key element around which we revolved our concepts. The building has multiple levels of access because the corridor is to long to be used as a single route throughout the building. Four pairs of stairs and elevators should be used in order to get faster to a certain zone or secondary destination.

WEST

Ground Floor

WEST

Art academic offices Shared wood & metal workshop

Art studio

First Floor

Art academic offices

Art PhD studio

Small art studio

Art studio

Plaster & Print workshop CNC workshop

Art studios

View to Ground Floor

IT labs

CME LAB Super BIM Lounge

Art studio

Cafe Typography workshop

Shared exhibioton

Meeting room

Shared seminar space

Shared reading room

Main entrance

Small lecture theatre

Large lecture theatre

FAB Lab and printing

Art AV

EAST

EAST

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Wayfinding

Second Floor

WEST

Architecture UG studio

Third Floor

WEST

Architecture UG studio

SOBE offices

Architecture offices

SOBE offices

SOBE LRC

Architecture critical space

Architecture visiting stuff

Typography UG studios

Typography UG studios

Typography admin offices

Meeting room

Typography offices

Typography offices

Typography gallery

Typography gallery

Typography UG studios

Typography MA studios

SOBE PhD studios

SOBE offices

SOBE offices

SOBE MA studio Typography Collections and Reading room

Typography PhD studio

SOBE project space

Small lecture theatre

Large lecture theatre

SOBE MA studio

Admin office

SOBE research space

SOBE MA studio

EAST

EAST

In the same article it is mentioned how ‘vertical circulation is one of the most important aspects of good building design in architecture. So, when planning the design of staircases architects generally have to take into account two key design parameters. First the constructional and representational form of its appearance have to be highlighted with respect to the function of the building and second the position of the stairway has to be optimized in relation to the user’s activity within the layout.’ (Meilingera et al., p. 297) Figure 24 After the first digital iteration on each floor, I had to see how these zones look like when they are stacked; maybe some kind of pattern or insight rises.

Toilets are always placed at the end of each corridor, just like stairs and elevators; this insight helped us develop the strategy further on.

toilet

elevator

circulation routes

stairs

void

vertical access

Vertical view

This kind of zoning works well with the architectural structure of the URS building because the vertical route is faster and easier than the horizontal one, which is narrow and crowded.

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Stakeholders and users

Stakeholder interview

The research process continued with interviewing John Connaughton, the professor and head of Construction management and engineering. From his answers, we were able to extract insights regarding user’s needs and interests: • No significant change in number of students anticipated • Undergrads: 120–130 per year of program (400 total at any given time). Class sizes vary depending on technical requirements and number of students interested and can fluctuate year to year • Flexibility in teaching space is required because needs shift year to year and teachers change locations • PhD students collaborate in groups of 5–6 and they make use of campus facilities like library or coffee shops while Undergraduate students have a semi-social space in the Junior Common Room, but that’s going to be gone post-renovated.

Resource room: • Have materials that students can handle like bricks and other building materials • Employ a part-time administrator for middle of day to help students locate learning resource materials • Hub for students to talk and work and take charge of their own learning • Keen to preserve this flexible space • Strong student course society; perhaps they invite speakers or have social nights and support each other’s learning and the department wants to support that • Next door to the simulated project room, which on the current plans looks like a bank of offices, is a studio-like collaborative space with whiteboards and bulletin boards for project implementation and monitoring BIM and CAV: • BIM is for classes, tutorials, and presentations • Screens, joystick, computers; in a class students can participate by controlling from their own computers • BIM lounge might need to be bigger and moved upstairs • CAVE is more immersive than BIM • Computer audio-visual environment • Used roughly weekly • Augmented reality with projections and headset • Research space or demonstration space to work with external contractors/industry partners • It’s common to have collaborations through the research council with external industry partners 19

Wayfinding

• Material labs are downstairs to show and experiment with different materials for teaching and demonstration (wet/dry) • There may be some common lectures shared between architecture and CME • SOBE wants some flexibility in their office spaces to allow them to locate academic staff appropriately (e.g., if an architecture prof needs to be near the studio where they primarily teach and go back and forth from all day) Administration: • There will be a need for executive support combined for the whole SOBE and probably be 4 or 5 administrators • It’s very important to them to collocate architecture and construction on the ground and third floors. Ground floor needs to have all the departments represented so it doesn’t just look like an art space; it should look immediately interdisciplinary • Architecture school will stand out from other schools in the country because it’s more exposed to aligned disciplines • None of the SOBE will be located elsewhere else on Whiteknights or London Road, but it’s probably going to be a bit squishy • A problem is the offices: they keep academic staff locked in and don’t facilitate a collaborative community environment; meeting spaces are formal but there is no lunch room currently; people don’t really meet now, and some staff will go meet at the library coffee shop for example if they need to chat, or else meet in offices, as the lounge spaces by elevators etc. are inadequate because they have traffic walking through and aren’t the most comfortable or appealing, no coffee etc.

• Usually the staff will book a formal meeting room if they need to meet for a specific purpose • Communication is primarily by email • Some academic staff leave the door open to try to compensate for how solitary they are in their separate offices • The south side of the building tends to overheat in summer so people jockey to get the north-facing offices • Heat regulation is a problem (heat is full on or off, and it can get cold in winter) • Acoustic performance: Noise pollution is also a problem, as you can hear lectures inside by side rooms coming through the walls and the same with offices (‘two lectures for the price of one’) • The living lab aspect is an opportunity to teach students about the building and construction management process • Conferences and events: they host them, and they would like to use ground floor, studio and teaching spaces and also lecture theatres in summer for example, and these sorts of events would require temporary signage. Currently they use an external space for conferences

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Wayfinding

• For visiting lecturers and other guests, it’s imperative that they be able to find offices and classrooms themselves, because there won’t be the administrative support to guide them in person • People get lost in the building all the time and don’t know which end of the corridor to go to

User groups

After the interview he had, we tried to trace again the major user groups that frequent the school, based on the information we gathered from our stakeholder. Because students will access the building on a daily basis, we should think how could the wayfinding system help visitors, mostly, to navigate in the URS building.

We then started to build more user journeys on the same diagram of the building; this method works for identifying where the paths of different user groups intersect. Those intersections become major decision points for people, points where the wayfinding system has to help and point possible directions.

Students • Prospective • Undergraduate • Postgraduate • MSc • Full-time • Part-time • PhD Staff • Faculty • Research • Technical • Administration • Visiting • Building maintenance • Janitorial Visitors • Deliveries • Campus mail • Visitors • Clients and partners • Parents • Event attendees • Guest speakers Figure 25 User journeys that trace the paths of different users selected from specific user groups: student, visitor, teacher, staff, etc. These journeys helped us figure out the major destination points and zones where there is increased traffic and circulation between floors.

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Wayfinding

Key insights

The research that we conducted helped us develop the project further by extracting key insights that offered opportunities for major changes that could help users navigate much better. Even if the building isn’t refurbished yet, we could still identify patterns and habits that users have in this environment.

Insights from stakeholder interview: • Because there are a lot of temporary lectures or events that happen inside the building, there is a constant need for signs and labels that are able to replace easily, with a document template • People do not like to horizontally navigate the building because of the long, narrow corridors Insights from the site analysis: • Toilets, elevators and stairs are always placed at the end on corridors; this important detail suggest that navigating from one toilet to the other, or to another office is made much more easily with vertical navigation methods • The confusion generated by the existence of a half floor has to be fixed with diagrams and maps that reveal the correct structure of the floor and the possibilities of getting to a specific room Insights from reference reading: • Every wayfinding system has to be developed based on elements like nodes, paths, landmarks, zones or districts because the mental maps of users are built in the same way, making the building much more easier to understand • Materials are influencing a lot the look and feel of a wayfinding system; we have to find feasible, durable materials but in the same time, easy to handle and replace, in case of temporary events or changes of offices

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Wayfinding

Transform

Aims • • • •

Explore different concepts for the wayfinding strategy Consider materials, forms, colors and contrast Generate a wayfinding system of all needed sign types Prototype signs in real-size for usability testing

Actions • Explore different concepts and methods with sketches • Generate a list for all needed content and establish terminology • Try different styles for the same strategy

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Wayfinding

Exploring concepts

Navigation sketches

Having the insights in mind, I started thinking about the different types of signs we need for the whole system and how the relate one to another. My main focus point was the diagram that shows the entire building stacked by floors. I felt the need to direct users along the long corridors and help them figure out where their position is on the horizontal axis. This type of space awareness could help users in making the right decision if they want to get to a specific room. Diagrams are good visual aids in this kind of situation because users could visualise the shortest way to their destination.

Figure 26 Sketches for the orientation signs that show different ways of segmentation; the long corridors could be split into two or three nodes based on the position of stairs and elevators. Another way of segmentation could be done by departments but it would be more difficult to search for a specific room in that case.

Figure 27 Using colors for different components was much more helpful to easily spot the natural way this type of brutalist building could be fragmented into different zones.

The building contains two servers managed by the Department of Engineering. These servers will be visible to the public and will be part of the visual image of the building; this way, they could become landmarks from a wayfinding point of view.

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Wayfinding

Figure 28 Explorations for the orientation diagram considered the amount of content that is going to be displayed along with the level of abstraction of the drawing. Highlighting the zone where the user is could be solved in more than one way, with color or symbols that are nowadays used in interface design.

Figure 29 Subway maps use a kind of connection based on nodes, in that case, station.

If the the connector mode is implemented in a wayfinding strategy, the nodes have to be very well thought of.

Questions that address the number of ‘stations’ and the position of the name were explored in these drawings.

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Wayfinding

Directions and modules

After research, we started to make a visual list with the different sign types that we need for the system; instead of using two object, we could combine them into a single one that points to two different locations if it is placed on a corner.

Figure 30 Temporary events could borrow the same form that directional signs have in order to maintain consistency between all the sign.

Figure 31 Signs could be placed on the railings found throughout the building.

Because there are some constraints of size, only directional signs fit. This type of sign is good for pointing out the nearest location or the most important one from that specific floor.

Figure 32 For unity and consistency, the family of signs has to be based on the same module. I tried to sketch out multiple forms that develop from the A size format and I tried to see how these signs fit in a user journey.

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Wayfinding

Sign types

Structure

The family developed for this strategy had to include different sign types, from three main categories: orientation, identification and directional. Each of these categories has a specific function and the whole system works together if the information presented on each of these signs is consistent, in words and pictures.

Figure 33 Sketches and lists with sign types and their placement. Each type of sign has, sometimes, a special position that is easy to recognize, for example, identification signs are almost all the time on the door or next to the door.

Process sketches that treat the modular aspect of the family were created and tested for legibility and contrast. We removed some sign types that we did not really needed, such as flags or the ones that hang from the ceiling.

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Wayfinding

Form and content

We looked at other wayfinding examples that use in an efficient way materials, forms and space. I kept on making different iterations for the sign types and played with colors, numbers, type weights and contrast. I tried to develop a simple strategy that could be easily transformed into a template that could further be used by the staff. Wayfinding systems that are created for schools and universities are different in zoning and content that other buildings that, somehow, have similar ‘layouts’.

Figure 34 An important thing that I learned is that words are better than unlabeled pictograms; with this idea in mind I tried to sketch which destinations should have a pictogram for representation and which ones should be written in words; Figure 35 Another important thing to consider are the room ranges and how these are displayed on the directional and orientation signs

Private rooms and offices should not be mentioned on the main orientation signs because they are not opened to the public. These things made me realise that every time we should consult the database that contains all the rooms and their characteristics to see what rooms and ranges should be mentioned on each floor.

Figure 36 Beside private rooms and offices, locations can be divided into 2 major categories: major and minor locations.

Lecture theatres, big studios and rooms dedicated to public workshops are considered major locations while the minor ones could be seminar rooms or the offices of teachers.

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Wayfinding

Sign placement

Signs are structured into three categories: identification, orientation and directional. We used the architectural plans and placed them in a logical order, based on the user journeys that we previously developed. Even if the floors have a different layout, the same logic can be applied in order to familiarize the user with the language of the building.

C.1 G10 Cafe & Shop 128 m 60 ppl

G07 Reception 11 m 1 ppl

G01 Admin Of ce 27 m 4 ppl

G02 FAB Lab 68 m 12 ppl

A.2

A.1

STG01 Feature Stair 10 m 0 ppl

G08 Cafe Store (Below Stair) 14 m 0 ppl

G09 Shared Exhibition 252 m 30 ppl

A.2

G14 Art Studios 203 m 92 ppl

G13 Art Teaching Gallery 123 m 28 ppl

G24 Art Studio Store 13 m 0 ppl

UP

B.2 LIG01 Feature Lift 5m 0 ppl

A.2 G03 Store 8m 0 ppl

A.2

G04 Large-Format Printing 29 m 4 ppl

B.2

UP

B.2

SDG01 Riser 1m 0 ppl

STG02 Stairwell 45 m 0 ppl

A.3

CRG01 Lobby 3m 0 ppl

A.3 B.3

TUG01 SRG01 CDG01 Neutral WC Cleaners Cupboard TUG02 Shower 2 m Neutral WC 2 m 3m TDG01 1 ppl 2 m 0 ppl 1 ppl Accessible WC & Shower 1 ppl 8m CRG12 1 ppl Lobby 13 m 0 ppl

A.3 A.3 A.3 A.3 A.3 A.3

B.1

G06 Break Out Space 21 m 6 ppl

UP A.1

SDG03 Electrical Riser 2 1m 0 ppl

A.2

B.1 CRG05 Circulation 130 m 0 ppl

A.1

A.1

B.1

A.1 PRG03 IT CPD 9m 0 ppl

B.1 A.2

CRG07 Circulation 123 m 0 ppl

B.1

G17 Print / Plaster Workshop 68 m 25 ppl

G12 CM+E Lab 164 m 30 ppl

A.2

TFG04 TMG01 CRG11 Female WC Male WC CRG02 2 m Male WC Lobby Female WC Lobby 2 m 9m 1 ppl 1 ppl 9m 0 ppl TFG05 TFG01 0 ppl Female WC TMG05 TMG02 Male WC Female WC Male WC 2m 2m 2m 2m 1 ppl TFG06 1 ppl 1 ppl 1 ppl Female WC TMG06 TFG02 TMG03 2m 1 ppl Male WC Female WC Male WC TFG07 2m 2m 2m Female WC 1 ppl 1 ppl 1 ppl 2m TFG03 TMG04 1 ppl TMG07 Male WC TFG08 Male WC Female WC 2m 2m Female WC 2m 1 ppl 1 ppl 1 ppl 2m 1 ppl

Identification

Directional

Orientation

• A1 key locations • A2 minor locations • A3 facilities

• B1 same floor • B2 different floor • B3 facilities flag

• C1 building + index • C2 elevators • C3 landings

Identification:

A.1 key locations Figure 37 A.2 minor locations Sketches that visualize the placement of the sign. The main orientation A.3 facilities sign could only be viewed from one direction and placed on the same side of all walls.

Wayfinding

A.2

G18 Spray Room 9m 2 ppl

A.2

G21 Art Of ce 11 m 2 ppl

A.2 G22 Art Of ce 11 m 2 ppl

A.2 G23 Art Of ce 11 m 1 ppl

CRG08 Circulation 8m 0 ppl

A.2

CRG09 Lobby 3m 0 ppl

C.2

SDG06 Riser 2m 0 ppl

PRG04 Secondary Eletrical Switch Room 12 m 0 ppl CRG10 Lobby 3m 0 ppl

A.3 A.1

A.2 G27 Art Of ce 35 m 5 ppl

G19 Wood & Metal Workshop 185 m 40 ppl

A.2 G16 CNC Cutting Workshop 21 m 2 ppl

A.1 C.3

A.1

G11 Super BIM Lounge 71 m 30 ppl

SDG05 Riser 1m 0 ppl LIG03 Lift Core 3m 0 ppl

B.2

SDG04 Electrical Riser 3 1m 0 ppl

A.2

G15 Workshop/Lab Staff Room 25 m 4 ppl

G05 Typography Workshop 101 m 15 ppl

29

UP

B.1

A.2

PRG02 Electric IN 9m 0 ppl

A.2

CRG06 Lobby 10 m 0 ppl

B.1 B.1

SDG02 Electrical Riser 1 1m 0 ppl

G29 Art Studio Store 12 m 0 ppl

C.3 B.3

A.3

CRG03 Circulation 36 m 0 ppl

PRG01 IT CPD 9m 0 ppl

C.2 C.3

C.2

G20 Art Studios 385 m 156 ppl

A.2

STG03 Stairwell 32 m 0 ppl

B.2

A.2

G26 Art Studio Store 11 m 0 ppl

G25 Art Of ce 12 m 3 ppl

Directional:

Orientation:

B.1 same floor B.2 different floor B.3 facilities flags

C.1 building + index C.2 elevators C.3 landings

G28 Art Meeting Room 23 m 10 ppl

Graphical elements

Visual aspect

Before our final graphic solution, I played with more than one concept. The orientation sign is a key sign in this system and I developed various iterations in order to improve it and make it understandable.

Figure 38 First iterations on paper for the main orientation sign. The investigations raised problems about the display of each floor: should it be in an axonometric view or a 2D one? The feature stairs could have a more detailed sign while the other stairs and elevators could combine orientation with direction.

After exploring different concepts, we decided that a side-view is the best option for a building that is rather long than tall.

The transform phase was playful, I tried different options for visual contrast but functional design. When I was sketching new forms, I was in the same time thinking about size and material. Some part of each sign could be permanent while others could be changeable, like the sketches presented above.

30

Wayfinding

Digital iterations

The next step was like a puzzle. I explored different ways of structuring the diagram of4the building. Some variations cut the building by floors while others by key locations. The second one is 3 better for explaining the existence of a half floor where the lecture theatres are. After the feedback session, we decided on a single 2 structure and started to fill in the required content based on major 1 We mapped out the lecture theatres, locations and access zones. toilets, elevators, disabled access, stairs and the big studios.

G

4

CAVE

4

4

4

4

Construction & Management Engineering

3

3

3

3

learning centre

2

Typography & Graphic Communication

2

2

Architecture

2

studios

collection & reading room

1 G

1

1

1

1

studios

IT lab

G

G

Art

Lecture theatres

studios

Workshops

studios

2 1 G

4 2

gallery

studios

Art

G

G

Art

3

3

3 2

4

Super BIM lounge

Shared exhibition Cafe store

Workshops Super BIM lounge

Construction lab

Construction lab

Wood & metal

Wood & metal

1 G

main entrance

Figure 39

4

Digital iterations for the main orietation 3 3 sign that will be placed at the main entrance, in elevators and next to stairs

2 1

G CM+E learning resource centre

CAVE

4 2 1 G

4

Construction & Management Engineering Construction & Management Engineering learning centre

Architecture studios

learning centre

Architecture studios

Typography & Graphic Communication Typography & Graphic Communication collection & reading room gallery studios

Art studios

Art studios

Art

IT lab

studios

Workshops Super BIM lounge Construction lab Wood & metal

SOBE studios

Architecture studios

Typography gallery Typography studios

Art studios

Art studio IT lab

Art studio Wood & metal workshop

Art studio Workshops CM+E lab

gallery studios

Art IT lab

studios

studios

Art

collection & reading room

Shared exhibition Workshops Cafe store Super BIM lounge

Lecture theatres

Art studios

Workshops Shared exhibition Super BIM lounge Cafe store Construction lab

Construction lab

Wood & metal

Wood & metal

main entrance

CAVE

3

3

2

2

1

Lecture theatres

G

Workshops Super BIM lounge Construction lab Wood & metal

SOBE studios main entrance

Wayfinding

CAVE

1 G

SOBE research & project spaces

Typography collection & reading room Typography studios

Social learning

Lecture theatres Art AV

Shared exhibition Cafe store BIM lounge

FAB lab Print shop Typography workshop

Main entrance

31

4

4 3 2 1 G

After we decided on the main orientation sign, we started to design the identication sign. We thought about colors, placement and typefaces. After trying out different version for the A5 format size we changed the system. The feedback session suggested that our approach is pretty dull and maybe something more bold could be used in this kind of system.

Figure 40

G.03

Digital iterations for identification signs. The colors, type weights and position of the text should be used to make a difference between key locations and minor location.

In the same time we investigated materials and ways of changing paper for replaceable signs.

3.21

G.03

UG studio

MA studio

Typography & Graphic Communication

Construction & Management Engineering

3.17

Art studios Workshops Construction lab

Rick Poynor Professor of Design and Visual Culture

FAB lab Printing

Keith Tam Associate Professor

3.17 fixed (room nr)

Rick Poynor

3.17Professor of Design and Visual Culture Keith Tam

Associate Professor

+

3.17

3.17

replaceable (name)

1.34 UG studio Typography & Graphic Communication

32

Wayfinding

Figure 41 Process sketches for directional sign. I tried to refine and improve the design elements: color, space, leading, typeface, arrows, pictograms and alignment

Art staff studio Meeting room CAVE Rooms 401–404 Toilets

Figure 42 Small directional signs that point to a certain range of rooms or major key locations, like the large lecture theatre

Large lecture theatre Rooms 2.13–2.56

Figure 43 Identification signs for facilities like toilets, stairs, elevators could have a different color and size. Also, this type of sign is the only one that contains pictograms for reinforcement.

Toilets

Elevator

Figure 44

CAVE

The orientation sign suffered a lot of modifications, but all for the best, i guess. I played with alignment of the type and everything started to arrange quite well. The size and position of icons was changed many times trying to find the best solutions there is.

Construction learning resource centre

Construction studios

Construction studios

Architecture studios

Typography gallery & studios

Typography collections

Art studios

Art studios IT lab

Social learning

Art studios Workshops

Art studios Workshops

Exhibition Cafe & store

Construction research spaces

Lecture theatres

Art AV

FAB lab

Main entrance

33

Wayfinding

Make Aims • Develop principles for the wayfinding system • Improve design of sign types

Actions • Develop high-fidelity prototypes of the sign family • Design specifications for system implementation • Formulate a client-facing document for the strategy

34

Wayfinding

High-fidelity prototypes

Orientation signs

C1

Welcome to the URS Building

Figure 45

CAVE

Building directory Construction learning resource centre

Built environment studios

Architecture studios

Typography gallery & studios

Art studios

Construction studios

Construction lea resource centre

Built environment research space

Architecture stu

Typography collections

Lecture theatres

Art studios IT lab

Social learning space

Lecture theatres

Art studios Workshops

Exhibition gallery Cafe & shop

Art studios

Art studios Workshops

Art AV

wheelchair access

Art studios Workshops

FAB lab

YOU ARE HERE

YOU ARE HERE

MAIN ENTRANCE

CafĂŠ & shop G.06 Exhibition gallery G.01 Lecture theatres from level 1 (wheelchair access) 1.03, 1.04 Lecture theatres from level 2 1.03, 1.04 FACILITIES Large format printing G.04 Spray room G.13 LABS FAB lab G.03 IT lab 1.09, 1.10 MEETING Crit & seminar space 1.05 Meeting rooms 1.07, 4.04 Social learning space 1.06 WORKSHOPS CNC cutting G.11 External G.22 Print & plaster G.12 Typography G.05 Wood & metal G.16

35

ARCHITECTURE Crit space 2.26 Studios 2.25, 2.31, 2.33 ART AV 1.01 Meeting room G.22 Sound & photo 1.02 Studios G.08, G.15, 1.10, 1.13, 1.15, 1.16 Teaching gallery G.09 CONSTRUCTION CAVE 4.04 Materials lab G.09 Learning resource centre 3.36 Research space 3.01 Simulated project space 3.03 Studios 3.06, 3.07 Super BIM Lounge G.07 TYPOGRAPHY Collections & reading room 2.02 Gallery 2.07, 2.13 Studios 2.01, 2.04, 2.05, 2.06, 2.20, 2.21, 2.23

Wayfinding 2.11

2.11

Meeting

Construction lea resource centre

Architecture stud

Art studios

Art studios Workshops

Figure 46 Schematic map

C3

CAVE

in elevators Construction learning resource centre

Construction learning Architecture studios resource centre

Architecture studios

Typography gallery & studios

Typography gallery & studios

Art studios IT lab

Art studios

Art studios Workshops

Art studios Workshops

Art studios Workshops

Art studios Workshops

YOU ARE HERE

Built environment studios

Built environment research space

CAVE

Construction studios

Built environment research space Typography collections Lecture theatres

Typography collections

Lecture theatres

Social learning space

Art studios IT lab

Art studios

V

Construction studios

Built environment studios

Lecture theatres

Art AV

wheelchair access

Social learning space

Lecture theatres

YOU ARE HERE

Art AV

wheelchair access YOU ARE HERE

Exhibition gallery Cafe & shop

Exhibition gallery Cafe & shop

MAIN ENTRANCE

YOU ARE HERE

FAB lab

YOU ARE HERE

FAB lab

MAIN ENTRANCE

C2

Figure 47 Schematic map on major landings

CAVE

Construction learning resource centre

Construction learning Architecture studios resource centre

Built environment studios

Built environment Typography gallery & studiosstudios

Art studios

Art studios IT labTypography gallery & studios

Art studios

Art studios Workshops Art studios

Architecture studios

ArtWorkshops studios

Construction studios

C2

CAVE

Built environment research space

Construction studios Typography collections Lecture theatres

Social learning space

YOU ARE HERE

Lecture theatres

Typography collections wheelchair access

Exhibition gallery FAB lab Cafe &Social shop learning space

Built environment research space

Art AV

Lecture theatres

Lecture theatres

Art AV

wheelchair access

IT lab

Main entrance

Art studios Workshops

Art studios Workshops

Exhibition gallery Cafe & shop

FAB lab

Main entrance

Rooms 1.01–1.11 Art studios lab RoomsIT1.01–1.11 Social learning space Art studios Lecture theatres 36

IT lab Social learning space

Wayfinding

B1

B1

23

Main entrance

Directional signs

Rooms 1.01–1.11 Rooms Art1.01–1.11 studios Art studios IT lab IT lab Social learning space Social learning space Lecture theatres Lecture theatres

Figure 48 Directional sign for the same floor

B1 B1

B2 B2

Figure 49 Directional sign for different floors

up to to up

ng m 37

Wayfinding

Lecture theatres

Main entrance

Identification signs

2.11

Rooms 1.01–1.11 Figure 50 Art studios Identification sign for key locations IT lab Social learning space Lecture theatres

Figure 51

Typography up gallery to

B2

2.11

Identification sign

A1

for minor locations

graphy gallery

B1

B2Meeting room

up to

Figure 52

Meeting Identification signs room for facilities like

Orientation: C1 building directory C2A2 elevator schematc map A3landings schematic A4 map C3

toilets or elevators

Directional: B1 same floor tory B2A3 different floor

matc map matic map

A4 38

Wayfinding

Identification: Directional: A1 key locatons same floor A2B1 minor locations A3B2 facilites flags floor different A4 facilities pictogram

User journey as a sequence of sign types

• • • • • •

Enter the URS with a specific destination in mind Determine the floor and floor section of the intended destination Take stairs or elevator to relevant floor Identify the correct floor Determine location on the floor in relation to key destinations Determine which direction to turn to travel down corridor to reach destination • Identify desired destination by room number or name

Welcome to the URS Building CAVE CAVE

Construction learning resource centre

Built environment studios

Architecture studios

Typography gallery & studios

Art studios

Art studios IT lab

Built environment research space

Construction studios

Construction studios

Construction learning resource centre

Built environment studios

Architecture studios

Typography gallery & studios

Art studios

Art studios IT lab

Social learning space

Art studios Workshops

Art studios Workshops

Exhibition gallery Cafe & shop

Built environment research space

CAVE

Art studios Workshops

Art studios Workshops

Typography collections

Lecture theatres

Social learning space

Lecture theatres

Art AV

wheelchair access

FAB lab

Exhibition gallery Cafe & shop YOU ARE HERE

YOU ARE HERE

Construction learning resource centre

Built environment studios

Architecture studios

Typography gallery & studios

Art studios

Art studios IT lab

Social learning space

Art studios Workshops

Art studios Workshops

Exhibition gallery Cafe & shop

Construction studios

Typography collections

Built environment research space

Typography collections

Lecture theatres

Lecture theatres

Lecture theatres

Lecture theatres

FAB lab

Main entrance

Art AV

wheelchair access YOU ARE HERE

Art AV

wheelchair access

YOU ARE HERE

Rooms 1.01–1.11 Art studios IT lab Social learning space Lecture theatres

MAIN ENTRANCE

Rooms 1.13–1.22 Art studios

39

Wayfinding

Orientation sign inside elevators

Orientation sign for main landings

2.11

Typography gallery

FAB lab

MAIN ENTRANCE

Directory sign for the main entrance

up to

Design specifications

Dimensions for final prototypes

Welcome to the URS Building CAVE

Construction learning resource centre

Built environment studios

Architecture studios

Typography gallery & studios

Art studios

Art studios Workshops

Construction studios

Built environment research space

Typography collections

Lecture theatres

Art studios IT lab

Social learning space

Lecture theatres

Art studios Workshops

Exhibition gallery Cafe & shop

Art AV

wheelchair access

FAB lab YOU ARE HERE

YOU ARE HERE

MAIN ENTRANCE

CafĂŠ & shop G.06 Exhibition gallery G.01 Lecture theatres from level 1 (wheelchair access) 1.03, 1.04 Lecture theatres from level 2 1.03, 1.04

ARCHITECTURE Crit space 2.26 Studios 2.25, 2.31, 2.33 ART AV 1.01 Meeting room G.22 Sound & photo 1.02 Studios G.08, G.15, 1.10, 1.13, 1.15, 1.16 Teaching gallery G.09

FACILITIES Large format printing G.04 Spray room G.13 LABS FAB lab G.03 IT lab 1.09, 1.10

CONSTRUCTION CAVE 4.04 Materials lab G.09 Learning resource centre 3.36 Research space 3.01 Simulated project space 3.03 Studios 3.06, 3.07 Super BIM Lounge G.07

MEETING Crit & seminar space 1.05 Meeting rooms 1.07, 4.04 Social learning space 1.06 WORKSHOPS CNC cutting G.11 External G.22 Print & plaster workshop G.12 Typography G.05 Wood & metal workshop G.16

1637 mm

TYPOGRAPHY Collections & reading room 2.02 Gallery 2.07, 2.13 Studios 2.01, 2.04, 2.05, 2.06, 2.20, 2.21, 2.23

490 mm

594 mm

CAVE

Construction learning resource centre

Built environment studios

Architecture studios

Typography gallery & studios

Art studios

Art studios Workshops

Construction studios

Lecture theatres

Art studios IT lab

Social learning space

Lecture theatres

Art studios Workshops

Exhibition gallery Cafe & shop

wheelchair access

Main entrance

297 mm

40

Built environment research space

Typography collections

Wayfinding

FAB lab

Art AV

210 mm

CAVE

Construction learning resource centre

Built environment studios

Architecture studios

Typography gallery & studios

Art studios

Art studios Workshops

Construction studios

Built environment research space

Typography collections

Lecture theatres

Art studios IT lab

Social learning space

Lecture theatres

Art studios Workshops

Exhibition gallery Cafe & shop

297 mm Art AV

wheelchair access YOU ARE HERE

YOU ARE HERE

FAB lab

MAIN ENTRANCE

420 mm

Rooms 1.01–1.11 Art studios IT lab Social learning space Lecture theatres

297 mm

420 mm

up to 297 mm

420 mm

41

Wayfinding

2.11

30 mm

Typography gallery 80 mm

124 mm

272 mm

2.11

30 mm

Meeting room 80 mm

60 mm

172 mm

90 mm

200 mm

90 mm

200 mm

42

Wayfinding

Pictograms set

elevators

cafe & shop

stairs

men’s toiletw

omen’s toileta

ccessable

FF Info Display

Typeface used

AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz0123456789

Color palette

C15 M0 Y0 K55

PANTONE 300 U

Conclusion I really enjoyed working on this project. I was very motivated, being a real project with real responsibility. Our final feedback session encouraged our strategy for the navigation system but further improvements could be made for the visual solution. Colors and materials could be thought again in order to develop a visual system that is recognizable and does not blend into the environment.

The main directory needs more work on the typography while pictograms could be more recognizable.

43

Wayfinding