Signbox has recently completed the first stage of a state-of-the-art signage installation at the landmark Winnersh IQ Business Park in Berkshire, as part of an ambitious £100 million redevelopment of the 117,200 sqm site. Working in collaboration with brand and marketing consultancy Siren Design, the architectural signs specialist has implemented a simple yet effective wayfinding scheme that reflects the estate’s new modern identity and instils a sense of uniformity, all the while enhancing the aesthetics of the park’s landscape.

Winnersh IQ Business Park is an 80 acre site that provides office, warehouse and training facilities. It was purchased by Oaktree Capital Management and Patrizia Immobilien AG Company in June 2013, who instigated a complete overhaul of the estate, including the building of new offices, a marketing suite, shopping facility and restaurant/café that were developed around a contemporary open square adjacent to a new Holiday Inn hotel.

Following a competitive tender, Signbox was selected on the strength of its capability to deliver a bespoke signage solution within the tight 12 week deadline – in time for the park’s relaunch under the new ownership. Following a number of detailed site surveys to ascertain what the job entailed – which included full structural calculations for signs over four metres – Signbox worked closely with Siren Design to create a signage system that reflected the distinctive rebranding of the business park.

The company devised an intricate installation process that dealt with the logistical complexities of the brief including removal of the old signage from the previous tenancy, delivery of new materials, road closures and installation of new signage, all the while ensuring minimal interruption to the working environment of the tenants already on the premises.

The first phase the project included off-site and on-site signage including:

• LED illuminated ‘Tenant Locator Sign’ with map of entire site, near entrance to park
• A series of 30+ Stealth Monolith wayfinding signs to denote all building numbers for vehicular and pedestrian traffic
• Architectural monoliths with illuminated text for the primary directional road signs
• 9m x 2.5m ‘Motorway Totem’ sign, internally illuminated by low voltage LEDs
• Dibond panel directional signage in the car park
• Fabricated aluminium numerals for buildings
• A Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled Chameleon wayfinding sign, located in the Piazza, creating a more interactive environment for visitors via their smartphones
• Fabricated aluminium panels with new graphics for busy on-site roundabout
• 1.5m x 0.25m platform sign for Winnersh Triangle train station

The second stage of the installation is ongoing and due for completion in September 2014.
“The client feedback has been very positive,” explains Mark Bartlett, Managing Director, Signbox. “Despite the size of job and the time by which we had to complete it, we scored 95% for accuracy and execution of the project. The brief required us to call upon all the skills and expertise that Signbox is renowned for.”

“From working diligently and creatively with designers to meet the exacting brief and developing functionary signage that visually enhances a business environment, to outstanding project management to ensure everything was carried out to a very high standard and on time. We’re delighted to be part of a multi-million pound project that promises to make Winnersh IQ Business Park one of the UK’s largest business hubs.”