Update ahead to signs

Signage at Wilfrid Laurier University is slowly, but surely, being updated across campus.

When The Cord last reported on signage nearly two years ago, the university’s campus signs were in shambles, with many empty or broken. The primary issue prohibiting repairs and outright replacement was a lack of funds, with maintenance saying there wasn’t money available to maintain the aging signs in their state.

As of May 2014, new landmark signs have been implemented across campus, including signs on the corners of King  Street and University Avenue, King Street and Bricker Avenue, University Avenue and Albert Street as well as Bricker Avenue and Albert Street.

Currently, a new approach has been taken to upgrading signage, with replacements and renovations being performed in conjunction with building maintenance.

“As we do renovations and we retrofit buildings, we upgrade the signage along with it. So you can see that we did a renovation at the Library [and] there’s a new building sign that went up with it,” said Gary Nower, assistant vice-president of physical resources.

Now, instead of having to find room in the budget for signage repairs or replacements, costs have simply been included in overall building project budgets.

There are however measures which have been taken to reduce both the cost of replacing and maintaining any new signage.

Previously, Nower said future signs would not include department listings on building signs, as they were too difficult and expensive to maintain.

Physical resources have carried through with that plan, having since removed department listings from campus signage.

“We took all the little strips of the departments out on [the wayfinding signs], they’re building identification signs. So our sign standards now [for] every building sign would simply say ‘The Fred Nichols Centre’,” said Nower.

“It wouldn’t say below it ‘Wilfs,’ ‘Bookstore,’ it wouldn’t do that, you would just know that you were at the Fred Nichols Centre.”

Instead, signage for departments and other services are posted solely inside of buildings, which provide more thorough information and can direct people with such details as direction, floor and room number.

“When in the building there would be a different level of wayfinding,” said Nower. “You would see where, what else was in the building, and as you navigated further in the building you would find more wayfinding.”

The large ‘Laurier’ signs, which adorn campus entrances, have also been done. This was the only fix planned two years ago. An additional sign is set for the future.