ARCHIVE: Category Archive for: Design/Build

The Massport Sign at the Braintree Split: Delivered with Speedy Professionalism

Three major highways — Interstate 93, U.S. Route 1, and Route 3 — converge at the Braintree Split. Just 10 miles south of Boston’s Logan International Airport, it’s also home to Massport’s Logan Express, a shuttle bus with a commuter parking lot: The Logan Express Park & Fly. Until recently, however, the sign that advertised this commuter lot badly needed replacing. Rusted and broken, with burnt-out bulbs, the old sign did nothing to call attention to this critical business. The refurbishment of this high profile sign was a key objective of Massport’s CEO, Lisa Wieland. The Project Management team from Edward Paige Corp reached out to Metro Sign in early March with a request for proposal (RFP). Within a week, Metro’s

Worcester’s Cultural Coalition Popup’s mission is simple: to support active creative engagement and foster a strong cultural identity for Greater Worcester. The Jean McDonough Arts Center offers space for local and visiting artists, organizations, and creatives to produce art shows, open mics, classes, and much more. In 2019, philanthropist Jean McDonough donated $2 million to support the completion of the BrickBox Theater, one of the Worcester Cultural Coalition programs. To honor her gift, the Coalition teamed with a local graphic designer, Travis Duda of Hunchback Graphics, to create a new logo. Incorporating the colors of the “Worcester Cube,” the JMAC sign embraces bright neon and pop art aesthetics to welcome everyone who visits the permanent popup, part of a public-private

Mixed use developments are designed to incorporate and complement various types of real estate together. Learn more about their benefits.

Revitalizing Historic Hudson Mills

A multi-million dollar renovation is underway in Hudson, Massachusetts. Developers are revitalizing the iconic Landing at Hudson Mills for contemporary use. When Mark Development and Manzo-Freeman Development began upgrading the treasured landmark with modern systems, utilities, and finishes, they knew they had to include signage to attract tenants. They called on Metro to build a welcoming focal point for clients and employees visiting the transformed space. A Sign of the Times We were excited to work with The Landing at Hudson Mills because the project was two-fold. They needed us to design and build an upscale and illuminated sign that had some historical elements. Our team worked closely with the owners to create a piece that could sit on their

In a design-build project, a single team completes the project; from design to fabrication to installation. A completed design-build team has major benefits. With a non-design/build approach, the client first works with a designer or architect, then sends the design to a separate fabricator. This relationship doesn’t always work in the client’s best interest, because neither entity is 100% responsible. This often results in needless delays and can result in errors. Design-build solves this problem, which is why we offer it. Here are the benefits clients see as a result: Lower Total Cost and More Accurate Budgeting With a design-build signage process, your initial estimate tends to be more accurate. That’s because there are fewer unknowns when a single supplier

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has many requirements for bringing current signs into compliance or when you create new ones. How can you bring your brand to ADA signage when creating new signs or bringing your current ones into compliance? While ADA signage requirements are first and foremost intended to improve safety and accessibility for customers and building visitors, many companies are pleasantly surprised at how the required signage can also support branding. We’ve helped large and small companies get a better understanding of ADA signage and to see how they can incorporate it into their interior design and include branding elements. What is ADA Signage? ADA signage is designed in accordance to the regulations of the Americans with

We’ve followed LEED and related architectural and design concepts for years, and always operated with a goal of finding the most efficient operational methods that are effective while having the lowest impact on natural and other resources. Expect to hear more from us on the subject in the coming months. In the meantime, we’d love to hear from our clients and partners, how are you working to make the most efficient use of time and materials?

How Real Signage Plays into a Virtual World

Earlier this year, a report by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America showed that outdoor advertising not only remains tops in terms of cost-effectiveness, it continues to be one of the strongest drivers of online searches. How Outdoor Advertising Fuels Online Searches According to the report, outdoor advertising was as successful in spurring Facebook activity as were TV ads, and results were similar for driving traffic to Twitter and Instagram. If it sounds surprising at first, when considering your routine behavior it’s easy to understand the findings. While commuters are strongly encouraged to ignore their phones while on the road, thanks to mobile devices, we’re accustomed to tuning in to an increasing amount of visual stimuli all the time, even while

All of us here at Metro Sign & Awning send a hearty “Congratulations!” to the team at Dellbrook and everyone involved in the West of Chestnut development in Quincy. We were excited and honored to be involved very early (probably before the earliest point in this time-lapse video!) interior signage evacuation map Metro design Boston While the video shows the dramatic transformation, you don’t see all the behind-the-scenes planning and design decisions that go into creating interior signage that complements a beautiful interior while serving an important (possibly life-saving) purpose for residents and visitors. More on that later. For now, here’s a glimpse at some of the preliminary sketches, hinting at how professional sign designers work to ensure interior signage meets codes, is ADA compliant, and is created and installed to be

Early in 2015, Metro Sign & Awning began designing a freestanding (pylon) sign for a corporate environment that would re-imagine Tewksbury’s workspaces. The corporate campus needed a sign that said more than “we’re here.” It needed to say, “we’re here, we’re corporate, we’re cool, and we’re different.” Enter Metro’s innovative design team. Exterior Signage To Transform a Corporate Entrance The birthplace and original headquarters of Wang Computers, today The Center at Innovation Drive hosts entrepreneurs as well as companies like Corning Life Sciences. The mixed-use development includes office, R&D and laboratory space in addition to warehousing, and lifestyle amenities such as doggie day care, a fitness center (for humans) and a fleet of rental bikes. LEED certification is in process for the four conjoined buildings totallling 750,000 sf of rentable space. Metro Delivers Inspired Design, Innovative Materials