WSI Sign Systems built the 3-m (9.8-ft) tall aluminum enclosures for the LED screens.
Fitting in
At the same time, since Exhibition Place is designated as a heritage city property, any new signage would need to mesh well esthetically with the existing landscape.
“The design couldn’t be overly intrusive or decorated,” says Bozovic.
Entro met with ASI, an archaeological and cultural heritage services firm, and the municipal government’s own heritage preservation services department to ensure the project’s appearance and installation requirements would support archeological sustainability and respect the heritage nature of the site.
The study identified six optimal positions for fixed, double-sided digital pylons, including two on Princes’ Boulevard, Exhibition Place’s central thoroughfare, and four along the site’s secondary streets, which are named after Canada’s provinces and territories.
“We presented our work to the heritage services team in early 2016,” says Bozovic. “Initially, our plan included placing one of the pylons near a historic fountain where Prince’s Boulevard, Manitoba Drive and Saskatchewan Road meet. We had to move that sign slightly further west until they were satisfied we had reduced the visual impact on the fountain. We also needed a bylaw variance from the city because there would now be more than one sign per entranceway.”
The enclosures feature a simplified version of the Exhibition Place logo.
The sign bylaw group’s input was incorporated into the specifications from the beginning. One concern that came up through consultations was screen brightness, for example, so light sensors were incorporated to enable automatic adjustments throughout the day and the signs would be turned off completely at night, from at least 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., unless needed for events during those hours.
As for content, the bylaw group consultations set a minimum of 10 seconds for static image retention and a maximum of one second for transitions between images.
“These signs are easy to look at and not a lot of transitions are needed anyway,” Bozovic explains. “They mostly display event names and logos with the corresponding parking lot information. As mentioned, the primary purposes of this system are parking management and bottleneck prevention. Any other content comes from the permanent tenants, like MLSE, and mentions upcoming games and events. We made some early suggestions regarding image size and transitions, but all of the content is created and driven by facility staff.”
