Slim Edge Illuminated Signage

Grimshaw was part of a joint venture called PGF that designed a new Flughafenkopf, or ‘Airport Head’, comprising Airside and Landside Centres as part of the fifth programme of expansion at Zurich Airport since 1949. The architecture creates a strong sense of place and a new iconic image for both the airport and the city it serves.

Billings Jackson Design was commissioned to work with the team to design a bespoke information display system that is used in both centres. This had to present a practical and internationally understandable way-finding solution.

In the Airside Centre, the display 'totems' also incorporate lighting elements to supplement the main lighting system. The system, manufactured by Burri, is a slim, elegant signage system that incorporates Burri's double-sided patented edge illuminated technology. Edge lighting allows for the efficient use of lamps: one T16 high efficiency fluorescent for a typical sign. The light-emitting material is treated so that only the graphic area of the sign is illuminated. The double-sided design allows for simple access for the replacement of both lamps and signs and security fixings can easily be added should they be required.

The sign graphics are produced using vinyl technology, which is readily available, making signs simple to update. The design of the profiles allows the signs to be suspended or cantilevered with the power supply feeding from one to another to enable further signs to be added without the need to install additional cabling.