The Sign as Metaphor
Banwell Architects
Lebanon, NH
Exterior Sign Program for 6 and 8 South Park Street
Project Description
Soon after Banwell Architects moved into their Lebanon headquarters, a renovated carriage house, they encountered the challenge of identifying their practice and two tenants at a single driveway entrance that served a second nearby professional building as well as their own. Faced with the prospect of a jumble of signs for each building and its tenants, Banwell Architects asked Charles Gibson Design to provide them with a sign program that addressed these issues.
By utilizing a single-posted, two-paneled main entry sign as a metaphor for the single driveway serving two buildings, CGD provided a clear signal for the two addresses. Directory listings for the tenants in both complexes eliminate the need for additional sign clutter. Address identities are reinforced with color-coding of each panel’s Palladian cap. The single-posted metaphor was carried further into the site to clarify the location of tenant entrances at the carriage house. The program was completed with a large address numeral and tenant identity/directory signs at the Client’s entrance.