519 Great South Road
Te Huinga at 519 Great South Road is a multi-tenanted commercial building that was recently reimagined. Part of that reimagining was signage to better serve the various businesses inside, many of whom had previously struggled with confused visitors.
A meeting place that needed to meet better navigation
Gifted by Paora Puru of Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua, Te Huinga means ‘the gathering, the meeting, the coming together.’ Alas, for many visitors to the 1974 commercial building, that previously meant coming together with someone they had never intended to visit. The signage was haphazard and unlinked, a by-product of multiple tenants coming and going over the years. So when the building required earthquake strengthening, it was the perfect time to also strengthen the effectiveness of the signage.
Individual signage had led to collective confusion
Tenants had been allowed to produce and install their own signage, resulting in a visually cluttered approach that made simple navigation difficult for visitors. There was no collective system and outdated signs left in position added to the confusion. This uncoordinated approach also detracted from the visitor experience at a vital point in their journey, potentially impacting their perception of the business they were visiting.
Getting the basics right
The Architect's drawings called for a simplified directory at the main entrance, then applied the same design and logic to every subsequent decision point, making every route a logical process of elimination as options are removed, so every journey becomes easier as the visitor moves closer to the destination. Critically, businesses were represented in the same way so they didn’t fight for attention, as was the case previously, which had resulted in signs that actually worked against each other.
One System for Multiple Businesses
- Street-front address and entry identification
- Entry and lift-lobby directories
- Level identification and directional signage
- Tenant identification at suite doors
Every business can be found
Te Huinga is now a meeting place where tenants and visitors can find each other with ease. Signage has the simplicity that good wayfinding demands and has been future-proofed, with any tenant changes to be easily reflected in updated signage as long as the system is followed. The result is a visitor experience that sets the right first impression and the right tone, achieving an easy psychological first-win for every business and getting those important meetings off to a great start.
End to end.
