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Philadelphia’s 30th St. Station Receives Signage Elevation

Calori+Vanden-Eynden, Bunting Graphics Collaborate

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Built in 1933, Philadelphia’s 30th St. Station serves as a central-city, multi-modal transportation hub. Amtrak owns the facility, but it also serves as a hub for several local and regional rail and bus lines, as well as a taxi and rental-car venue. However, as with many heavy-traffic public facilities, the station began to show its age and required a functional and aesthetic makeover befitting a facility that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Amtrak commissioned NYC-based Calori + Vanden-Eynden (C+VE) to develop a station-wide signage program to replace a 30-plus-year-old mishmash of outdated, time-worn signs. The old program employed a gold-on-red color that was difficult to read and noncompliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. As with most sign projects crafted for large public spaces, numerous stakeholders were involved: Amtrak, PennDOT, SEPTA (metro Philadelphia’s public-transit authority) and various civic groups.
Amidst a comprehensive sign program that included ADA-compliant wayfinding and overall site branding – approximately 100 signs of various shapes, sizes and functions define the program – C+VE designed several monument signs that feature perforated-metal letters and dramatic LED lighting. Using perforated metal benefited the project because it’s lightweight compared to solid material, which made it easier to use. Also, the perforations provide dramatic lighting.
“Our goal was to develop a seamless system that improves access for users while consistently branding the station across multiple environmental-graphic applications,” David Vanden-Eynden, one of the firm’s principals, said. “Durability of materials and effective lighting were key considerations. Perforated-metal letters provided subtle lighting; we didn’t want them to look like retail signage.”
He continued, “In one instance, the letters’ placement within landscape features provides a refined, integrated appearance. In another location, integrating the letters within low, curved wall provides a cohesive look that speaks to the architecture’s monumentality.”
Vanden-Eynden noted that working with the State Historic Preservation Office and their stringent requirements in terms of materials presented unique challenges. Also, he said that creating an efficient sign program for the station was the major consideration.
Rail travel is expected to grow by a double-digit percentage over the next few years, especially along the Eastern Seaboard, an already congested region that continually undergoes substantial population growth. Improving the functionality of an existing rail station is critical to the region’s economic vitality.
Bunting Graphics (Verona, PA) fabricated the monument-sign program. After developing shop drawings using Autodesk’s Inventor software, the shop built the letters from brushed-finish, stainless-steel sheets that were MIG-welded together. The monument sign that’s installed within the landscape feature was secured with a footer assembly engineered specifically for the site.
 

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