technische universität berlin
orientierungssystem hauptgebäude
eingeladener wettbewerb, 1. preis
berlin 2016

luminous trail 

a student from brussels or bombay needs to get to a specific location on the third floor. he presses three in the lift, gets out at level three, turns left, left again, then right and finds himself outside room 124, thinking he’s reached his destination. but he’s actually on the wrong floor – because with no regard for the original storey heights, two new wings have been brutally appended onto the old building. to solve the wayfinding problem, a section and level coding system in a brilliant, eye-catching colour ensures that building users can find their way around easily, no matter where they happen to be. and wherever a choice of direction is required, directory signage panels provide support. 

all elements of the wayfinding system are in fluorescent yellow, holding their own amid the diverse architectural spaces and labyrinthine mysteries of university life, the visual equivalent of ariadne’s thread. all the information panels are presented in a standard format, and centre-justified; the edges of the three-dimensional elements and the lettering are black. 

which helps. 

a series of pictograms was custom-designed specifically for berlin university of technology, depicting a diverse range of cultures, genders, ethnicities and individuals while also fulfilling its task of clearly distinguishing, visually, between men and women.