We recently updated wayfinding or directional signage for Longwood at Oakmont, a continued-care Pittsburgh retirement community. Longwood’s challenge was to have a system that eased navigation through their beautiful community. We were part of the solution as we fabricated and installed functional wayfinding, parking, and informational post and panel signs to identify and direct traffic to specific buildings.
Longwood at Oakmont is an accredited CARF senior retirement community focused on the age-friendly initiative in and around the city of Pittsburgh where they help the elderly community age positively. Equipped with a caring staff and personalized programs, Longwood provides its residents with the highest quality of living and is ranked in the top 11% of senior facilities in the United States.
The photos throughout this article show the multiple directional and wayfinding signs installed around the Longwood community. Included are several post and panel signs of varying sizes. To see more pictures of the project, check out the Longwood at Oakmont album on Flickr!
To prepare for the project, our team met with our client multiple times. In our first meeting, we received the original design and layout of the community from Longwood’s design team to start drafting a proposal. Throughout our continued communication we discussed and agreed upon pricing, placement, and a scheduled timeline.
This project consisted of our team removing and refurbishing some of the existing signs and fabricating additional new signage. The refurbished signs received new posts and faces that consisted of routed aluminum covered with printed vinyl. The new signs were built from scratch and received the same aluminum faces as the refurbished signs to create continuity. To add another decorative touch, we attached a cast iron finial to the top of each sign.
Installation occurred in three phases due to the number of signs and the size of the property. We began by digging holes and cementing the new signs into the ground. A good number of signs that we installed were parking signs, which measured around 18”X13”. The post and panel 
building identifiers measured to be about 96”X24”, and the remaining signs were roughly 42”X20” posted around various intersections and parking lots. In addition, we refaced Longwood’s two-sided monument sign – at the community’s main entrance –with new materials and updated graphics.
The staff at Longwood was pleased with our communication throughout the project and our ability to produce a polished product in the established time-frame.
If you are looking for a sign company that has experience with enhancing directional signage in a retirement community, business campus or industrial park with both interior and exterior signage and want the project to be managed smoothly, consider Spark Signs & Graphics. We specialize in high quality outdoor and indoor signs of all types, vehicle wraps and trade show and event displays. Call us at 724-510-0677, check us out at www.sparksigns.com, or visit our showroom in the North Hills of Pittsburgh.
