National Automotive Innovation Centre, University of Warwick

National Automotive Innovation Centre, University of Warwick

After a successful tendering process isGroup was appointed to manufacture and install the signage scheme for University of Warwick, National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC).

NAIC is one of Europe’s largest automotive research and development centres and provides 33,000m2 of cutting-edge workshops, laboratories, virtual engineering suites and exhibition spaces. It was established to provide a collaborative hub for industry and academia to help shape the future of a sustainable automotive industry.

University of Warwick NAIC internal indoor door signage and projecting signage

Project Delivery

Working with Maynard Design, who developed NAIC’s digital-ready wayfinding system isGroup’s brief was to support Maynard and bring their wayfinding system to life, in a fully functional signage scheme. The scheme consisted of internal elements such as wayfinding directories, wayfinding feature walls, projecting signs, floor level indicators, door signs and vinyl graphics.

The wayfinding directories took influence from the building’s modern unique architecture. Made from aluminium painted black with white printed text, each directory was folded to have a section protruding out from the rest of the directory indicating the floor level. Behind the protruding section internally warm white LEDs were fitting to create a halo effect, delivering a very individual signage style.

The same monochrome colour pallet continued through the other signage elements like the projecting signs.

The signs were manufactured from painted black aluminium with laser cut panels, displaying pictograms of the areas they were situated in. The laser cut pictograms were backed up with white acrylic adding depth to the signs.

This detail was also present in the door signage, several larger aluminium door signs which included a laser cut arrow that was backed up with white acrylic. Other door signage was produced from dense acrylic with UV printed text and pictogram symbols to the face.

Wayfinding feature walls were found throughout the building, they comprised of individual laser cut aluminium letters sitting alongside a large built-up internally illuminated acrylic letter, to signal what floor a person is on.

Other small floor acrylic stood off indicators were arranged around the building. The feature walls were accompanied by secondary wayfinding wall features of directional vinyl graphics applied to walls and glazing.

The result is a truly inspiring workspace, the stunning and bright visual signage has created a prestigious environment – and a space to reflect the leading-edge status of the stakeholder organisations that meet there.

Award Winning

The National Automotive Innovation Centre has won many highly prestigious awards, such as Wood Award for its structural excellence in architecture and product design in wood. This award comes just weeks after the Building was recognised as one of the best workplaces in the Midlands and Central England at the annual British Council for Offices (BCO) regional awards. It has also won Building Magazine Project of the Year at the Building Awards 2020 and AIA Excellence in Design Awards 2020 for sustainability.

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