Profile One for Transport

Grimshaw undertook the refurbishment of Brunel’s Paddington Station and commissioned Billings Jackson Design to develop a new information system.

The brief called for improvement to the quality of the station signage in both functional and aesthetic terms. Billings Jackson revisited its Profile One signage system for German manufacturer Mabeg.

The system’s design is based on the concept of integrating traditionally separate categories of information onto a series of independent support structures that can support a wide range of equipment - including PA and CCTV - in addition to signage. 

Designed to be instantly recognisable points of orientation, these structures are distributed strategically throughout the station, enabling travellers to enjoy the shops, restaurants and bars in the station at the same time as remaining informed. 

By using standard components as well as defining set areas for information and fixing points for equipment and cables, the mast offers functionality, the flexibility to adapt to its surroundings, and a controlled aesthetic. The anodised aluminium profiles and sign panels house all the necessary services, equipment and controls within the structure itself, resulting in a clean and easily maintained exterior. 

The provision of ample space for wiring also enables the support structures to house the host of cables, plugs and switches that have been removed from the Brunel steel work, leaving it clean and in its original state.

The Profile One Transport System offers a solution which enables the controlled integration of services equipment and information in the complex environment associated with transport interchanges.