Signco recently worked with Alinea Architects on the graphics portion of a large-scale fieldhouse expansion for the Grandview School District.
The Grandview Bulldogs’ fieldhouse graphics installation by Signco.
Alinea Architects were contracted by the Grandview School District to handle the design of this large-scale renovation and expansion of the District’s existing fieldhouse facility. The facility expansion project was undertaken to accommodate the district’s growing sports program.
Alinea was in search of a company to print and install branded graphics on the walls and flooring throughout the fieldhouse. As a public project, the graphics supplier would need to be selected via a competitive bidding process. However, before the work could be put out for bid, additional knowledge was needed to create specifications for the bid RFP. Alinea had reached out for a recommendation from the company that had been contracted to apply the facility’s wall and flooring epoxy. That company recommended Signco.
According to Daren Carney, AIA, president of Alinea Architects:
“We didn’t want to ask too much of the Signco team as they were not officially contracted – and they may not have won the bid at all. But Signco understood how the bidding process works and they were happy to provide helpful insights for the project specification which allowed our company to make the best decisions for the RFP and, ultimately, for our client.”
Alinea provided Signco with a portfolio of custom branding material incorporating the district’s branding graphics, which their graphics and printing team adapted for various applications throughout the fieldhouse commons areas and locker rooms. The flooring and walls were finished with a special, high-grade epoxy commonly used in pharmaceutical facilities. To fully integrate the graphics within the space, Signco used an innovative printing process that allowed negative space in the design to reveal the vibrantly colored epoxy walls, making the walls themselves part of the graphic. Since all the surfaces where the graphics were installed were finished with heavy-duty epoxy, the team chose a vinyl material that would be durable, but safe to remove later on down the line without damaging the walls.
In addition to large, multi-colored wall graphics, Signco also installed a painted floor graphic. The Signco team took extra precautions with the hand-painted graphic as it needed to be durable enough to withstand a many years’ worth of heavy foot traffic.
Because the project had so many moving parts and different parties involved, Signco made its portion of the project as simple and straightforward as possible for Alinea.
“Working with Signco – before and after we signed a contract – went very smoothly. They not only made working together easy but also understood the position our firm was in. At Alinea, we are extremely client-focused. They are our primary concern throughout the entirety of a project, and Signco understood that. They listened very carefully to what we needed, respected the approval process, and delivered exactly what we wanted,” says Carney.
“For example, the district provided very specific branding colors and when one of the two-toned graphics looked slightly off, Signco was quick to make it right. In fact, Signco manually adjusted the color so when it printed it would be an exact match to the rest of the branding. Their attention to detail was exceptional. Alinea Architects would not hesitate to work with Signco again.”
Alinea Architects is based in Olathe, Kansas, and specializes in a range of different commercial building projects with an emphasis on educational facilities. The word “alinea” is Latin for pilcrow (¶), meaning “a new way of thinking.” Alinea was founded with a mission to change the way architects approach their clients and projects. For Alinea, listening closely to each client to clearly and accurately understand goals and objectives is an essential first step with all clients. That emphasis on active listening and client satisfaction is carried on throughout the entire partnership.
When handling complex public projects, having visual communication professionals who thoroughly understand your needs and the needs of your client is essential. Signco has been a preferred partner for hundreds of KC Metro area businesses for over 40 years. For more information on contracting Signco for your next project, send the Signco team a message online!
