What this system does
The signage system helps a person in the building understand where they are, where they need to go, and how to get there.
This proposed design runs in a fixed order: spatial diagnosis and numerical checking, then visual design.
This proposal brings together five decisions for review
A five-level numbering system
Use neutral level numbers throughout the building.
This replaces public-facing terms such as Basement, Lower Ground, Ground Floor, First Floor and Mezzanine.
Because the site slopes, a visitor can enter the building at different architectural floors. Neutral numbering gives every entrance a clear and consistent reference.
The same level names will ultimately be used on
| Level | Replaces | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| 0Level 0 | Basement | Service accommodation |
| 1Level 1 | Lower Ground | Zones A, B and C |
| 2Level 2 | Ground Floor | Zones A, B, C and D |
| 3Level 3 | First Floor | Zones A, B, C and D |
| 4Level 4 | Mezzanine | Zone C only |
Four visitor-facing zones
The eight architectural blocks are simplified into four zones.
The architectural block references can remain available for facilities and technical coordination. Visitors only need to understand four zones.
Every zone is identified by letter + name + color. Since several wings have similar geometry, the aim is for someone to know, at a glance: I am in Zone C on Level 3.
A campus-wide room reference
The existing estate room number can remain 3-12 in internal records if required. The public-facing reference gives the same room a location that works at campus scale.
Wall-mounted internal wayfinding
All internal wayfinding is proposed as wall-mounted.
The proposal does not rely on suspended corridor signs, ceiling-mounted signs or freestanding interior pylons.
Whiteboards, projector areas, glazing, curtain walling, cabinetry and other unavailable surfaces need to be identified before final positions are approved.
One visual system, applied at different scales
The system combines a restrained neutral base with the four zone colors. Large level numbers and zone letters do the orientation work. Detailed information remains quieter.
The goal is a system that feels part of Ashesi’s brand style.
How the building design informs this system
The building repeats itself
Zones A, B, C and D use closely related architectural forms. A visitor can move from one part of the building to another without receiving a strong architectural signal that their location has changed.
The main circulation is a loop
Levels 2 and 3 wrap around the central courtyard. This makes movement easy, but orientation harder. If someone turns the wrong way, the route can still look correct because the corridor continues.
The building changes shape between levels
The four-zone arrangement does not exist on every floor. A visitor cannot assume that a route available on one floor continues on the next.
- Level 0 — service accommodation
- Level 1 — Zones A, B and C
- Level 2 — Zones A, B, C and D
- Level 3 — Zones A, B, C and D
- Level 4 — Zone C only
There is no single arrival level
The building sits on a slope. Someone entering from one side can arrive on a different level from someone entering elsewhere, even though both have entered directly from outside.
The vertical cores do different jobs
Not every stair and lift serves the same destinations. The Zone C library lift, for example, forms part of a specific route between the Quad, Main Library and Upper Library.
Public and restricted uses overlap
Teaching spaces, research laboratories, the library, administrative offices, the President’s Office and technical areas share the same building. A visitor can move from a highly public area toward a restricted one without a strong threshold.
Orient → Direct → Confirm → Name
The signage follows one consistent sequence.
Orient
Where am I?At entrances, lift arrivals, stair arrivals and major thresholds. A visitor should establish Building · Level · Zone before being asked to find an individual room.
Direct
Which way do I go?Only at places where someone has to make a choice. Directional signs should not fill straight corridors where no decision is required. No directional sign should carry more than five destinations.
Confirm
Have I arrived?Every destination receives a clear room or department identifier.
Name
What is this place called?Donor, honorary and named-space recognition comes after the functional identity. A future name should not make a room harder to find.
Proposed sign system
The system is organized into five families.
Exterior & Site
Everything before the door or between campus destinations.- Building identification
- Entrance and level identification
- Campus directional signs
Wayfinding
Everything that helps someone move through the building.- Arrival orientation
- Directional signs
- Zone gateways
- Lift and stair markers
- Floor directories
Identification
Confirms that someone has reached the right destination.- Room identification
- Department and open-plan identification
- Technical and service room identification
Regulatory & Safety
Statutory information, to the relevant safety standards.- Fire and escape information
- Laboratory hazard and PPE signage
- Restricted-access signage
- Accessibility information
Naming & Recognition
Added after the functional identity is working.- Named spaces
- Donor recognition
- Dedications
- Interpretive content
Design direction
The visual studies explore a system built around:
What should remain consistent across every visual option
The visual expression may change. The underlying wayfinding logic should not. Every option should retain:
Color and legibility
The four proposed zone colors have been checked for text contrast.
Slate
#2C3846
Ashesi Red
#A93C40
Turquoise
#017597
Turquoise works well for large zone letters and short labels. Longer or smaller text should generally sit on a neutral field.
Chocolate
#603913
The zone letter always remains visible. Color is reinforcement, not the only locator.
Readability is measured, not assumed
The proposed dimensions respond to how far away each sign is expected to be read.
| Sign | Typical reading distance | Working cap height |
|---|---|---|
| Road building identification | 30 m | 150 mm |
| Entrance identification | 8 m | 40 mm |
| Directional | 5 m | 25 mm |
| Zone label | 8 m | 40 mm |
| Floor directory | 2 m | 12 mm |
| Room identification | 1.5–2 m | 12 mm |
Text is also measured against the actual typeface before plate dimensions are fixed.
Current working widths
Zone C
Turquoise could carry general informational text.
White text passes the minimum contrast requirement, but is less suitable for dense information.
Use Turquoise for strong, short orientation cues. Keep detailed copy on a neutral field.
Accessibility
Accessible wayfinding should not be treated as a variation of the standard route.
Where a ramp or lift route differs from the most direct stair route, the signage system should identify both.
Naming should be designed to change
Room functions and donor names will change over the life of the building.
Where a sign may later carry a name, it should be designed as two parts if possible:
Permanent carrier
- Room reference
- Zone information
- Permanent system elements
Replaceable insert
- Room or space name
- Future donor or honorary naming
This allows a naming decision to change an insert rather than require a new sign and new wall fixings.
If this is not possible, we should maintain the existing screw-on plates that can be swapped without needing new wall drilling.
Sign schedule and plans
The measured positions behind the proposal. Indicative — final quantities need a complete door and GA package.
Open the interactive plans 551 measured positions across the site and five levels. Filter by family or type, and select any marker for its specification.525 of the 551 measured positions map to the proposed type list. The remaining 26 — Vehicular directional (4) and Nook, pod and interactive (22) — have no equivalent in it, and are held rather than reassigned.
| Set | Type | Description | Site | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | E01 | Building identification | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 |
| E02 | Entrance and level identification | — | — | 4 | 6 | — | — | 10 | |
| E03 | Campus directional | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | |
| E2* | Vehicular directional | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | |
| W | W01 | Arrival orientation | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| W02 | Directional | — | 1 | 8 | 13 | 12 | — | 34 | |
| W03 | Zone gateway | — | — | 3 | 6 | 6 | — | 15 | |
| W04 | Lift and stair marker | — | 2 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 26 | |
| W05 | Floor directory | — | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 14 | |
| I | I01 | Room identification | — | 5 | 21 | 37 | 61 | 4 | 128 |
| I02 | Department and open-plan identification | — | — | 3 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 14 | |
| I03 | Technical and service room identification | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | |
| I3* | Nook, pod and interactive | — | — | 4 | 10 | 8 | — | 22 | |
| R | R01 | Fire and escape information | — | 6 | 24 | 44 | 42 | 4 | 120 |
| R02 | Laboratory hazard and PPE | — | 6 | 6 | 18 | 15 | — | 45 | |
| R03 | Restricted access | — | 9 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 32 | |
| R04 | Accessibility information | — | — | 4 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 20 | |
| N | N01 | Named spaces | — | — | 6 | 16 | 16 | 2 | 40 |
| N02 | Donor recognition | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 2 | |
| N03 | Dedications | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 2 | |
| N04 | Interpretive content | — | — | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 12 | |
| Indicative total | 15 | 29 | 102 | 190 | 196 | 19 | 551 | ||
Generated from the same marker data that drives the plans, so the schedule and the drawings cannot disagree. Rows in a lighter tone carry a provisional code.
Type specification
EExterior & Site
Building identification
3 indicativeIdentifies the building at the vehicular approach and on the pedestrian frontage.
- Size
- Road ~2.7–3.0 m · Pedestrian ~1.4–1.6 m
- Mounting
- Wall
- Read from
- 30 m
- Cap height
- 150 mm
Entrance and level identification
10 indicativeNames the building and states the level being entered. Every significant entrance carries one.
- Size
- 800 × 380 mm
- Mounting
- Wall
- Read from
- 8 m
- Cap height
- 40 mm
Campus directional
8 indicativeHands the visitor off to wider campus destinations.
- Size
- ~600 × 110 mm per line
- Mounting
- Wall or post
- Read from
- 5 m
- Cap height
- 25 mm
Vehicular directional
4 indicativeFour Revision 02 positions with no equivalent in the proposed exterior list. Held pending a decision on whether vehicular routing stays in this package.
- Size
- To be confirmed
- Mounting
- Post-mounted (Rev 02)
- Read from
- 12 m
- Cap height
- 60 mm (Rev 02)
WWayfinding
Arrival orientation
0 indicativeThe first orientation surface inside a threshold — building, level and zone.
- Size
- ~900 × 1200 mm
- Mounting
- Wall
- Read from
- 3 m
- Cap height
- 15 mm
Directional
34 indicativeOnly where a visitor must make a choice. Maximum five destinations.
- Size
- 800 × 320–350 mm
- Mounting
- Wall
- Read from
- 5 m
- Cap height
- 25 mm
Zone gateway
15 indicativeMarks entry into a zone, carrying letter, label and color together.
- Size
- 500–600 mm field
- Mounting
- Wall or applied color field
- Read from
- 8 m
- Cap height
- 40 mm label · 180 mm letter
Lift and stair marker
26 indicativeStates which levels and destinations that core actually serves.
- Size
- ~500 × 700 mm
- Mounting
- Wall
- Read from
- 6 m
- Cap height
- 30 mm
Floor directory
14 indicativeFull level listing, showing the accessible route as a distinct line.
- Size
- 800 × 1100–1200 mm
- Mounting
- Wall
- Read from
- 2 m
- Cap height
- 12 mm
IIdentification
Room identification
128 indicativeRoom name, campus reference and zone cue at every enclosed destination.
- Size
- 360 × 160 mm
- Mounting
- Wall, latch side
- Read from
- 1.5–2 m
- Cap height
- 12 mm
Department and open-plan identification
14 indicativeFor areas with no single door.
- Size
- 600 × 180 mm
- Mounting
- Wall
- Read from
- 4 m
- Cap height
- 20 mm
Technical and service room identification
0 indicativePlant, store, riser and technical spaces.
- Size
- 260 × 120 mm
- Mounting
- Wall or door leaf
- Read from
- 1.5 m
- Cap height
- 10 mm
Nook, pod and interactive
22 indicativeTwenty-two Revision 02 positions with no equivalent in the proposed identification list. Held pending a decision on whether pods are separately identified.
- Size
- To be confirmed
- Mounting
- Wall or furniture (Rev 02)
- Read from
- 1.5 m
- Cap height
- 16 mm (Rev 02)
RRegulatory & Safety
Fire and escape information
120 indicativeEscape routes, final exits, fire action notices and equipment.
- Size
- Per ISO 7010 / ISO 16069
- Mounting
- Wall
- Read from
- Per standard
- Cap height
- Per standard
- Standard
- Statutory safety colors and symbols govern
Laboratory hazard and PPE
45 indicativeHazard identification, mandatory PPE and emergency equipment.
- Size
- Per ISO 7010 · GHS
- Mounting
- Wall
- Read from
- 1.5–2 m
- Cap height
- Per standard
- Standard
- ISO 7010 · GHS
Restricted access
32 indicativeAuthorized access only at plant, server, tank and technical spaces.
- Size
- Per ISO 7010
- Mounting
- Wall or door leaf
- Read from
- 1.5 m
- Cap height
- Per standard
- Standard
- ISO 7010
Accessibility information
20 indicativeAccessible route marking, accessible WC identification and assistance instructions.
- Size
- Per ISO 21542
- Mounting
- Wall
- Read from
- 1.5–2 m
- Cap height
- Per standard
- Standard
- Act 715 · ISO 21542
NNaming & Recognition
Named spaces
40 indicativeReplaceable insert to the room identification carrier.
- Size
- Insert
- Mounting
- Wall
- Read from
- 1.5–2 m
- Cap height
- 12 mm
Donor recognition
2 indicativeModular panels on a fixed rail.
- Size
- Modular
- Mounting
- Wall
- Read from
- 2–3 m
- Cap height
- Varies
Dedications
2 indicativePermanent, single-issue.
- Size
- Single-issue
- Mounting
- Wall
- Read from
- 1.5 m
- Cap height
- Varies
Interpretive content
12 indicativeStory and interpretive graphics.
- Size
- Varies
- Mounting
- Wall
- Read from
- 1.5–3 m
- Cap height
- Varies
Decisions for this review
Please confirm:
Approve Level 0–4 as the public level nomenclature.
Approve A, B, C and D as the four visitor-facing zones, and approve the proposed zone colors.
Approve STEM C312 as the standard campus-facing location format — Building + Zone + Level + Room.
Approve wall-mounted internal wayfinding as the design basis.
Select the visual direction to take forward into detailed design.