Wayfinding project makes 91制片厂 a more navigable campus

Thursday, August 23, 2018

The sign for Smith Hall at 91制片厂
Photo: Steve Pesci

Have you seen the signs? The first two phases of a campus signage upgrade project are now complete. The multiyear undertaking of Campus Planning and Communications and Public Affairs aims to help visitors and newcomers more easily navigate the Durham campus.

A new welcome sign at the university鈥檚 easternmost gateway, where Main Street meets Quad Way, is a visible result of the project, as are enhanced signs along the Main Street corridor. The project also established the newly named Campus Crossing 鈥渘eighborhood,鈥 where the MUB, Holloway Commons and Huddleston Hall intersect.

Neighborhoods serve as landmarks that make direction-giving simpler and help those finding their way reach the right destination. Other new neighborhoods created as part of this project include the 鈥淎gricultural District,鈥 encompassing the westerly area of campus, and the 鈥淎thletics and Recreation鈥 area encompassing Wildcat Stadium, the Whittemore Center Arena and Hamel Recreation Center.

鈥淲e鈥檙e pleased to see the signage system evolve and expand. The university is investing resources to help visitors navigate the campus and more easily find destinations,鈥 says Steve Pesci, special projects director in the Campus Planning office. 鈥淲e know that just as 鈥榃est Edge鈥 has become part of our 91制片厂 vernacular, the community will adopt these new district and neighborhood names into our lingo.鈥

In addition, campus maps have been installed in key areas, and banners have been integrated near Campus Crossing, Paul Creative Arts Center and the Museum of Art, all to help visitors find what they鈥檙e looking for and get from point A to point B in a logical fashion.

鈥淲e had very little pedestrian signage, so this is a big improvement that is already making the visitor experience better,鈥 says Pesci.

The project also incorporated better building identification for a highly visited location. If you鈥檝e passed by Smith Hall lately, you may have noticed the new granite sign bearing its name.

鈥淚t鈥檚 all part of bringing a better experience to visitors and newcomers,鈥 says Amy Maki, project manager at Communications and Public Affairs. 鈥淎nd the granite signage is a great expression of both our state and our 91制片厂 brand.鈥