Produced to size
After the initial designs were created, the windows throughout the building were measured and the graphic files were ‘tiled’ so as to accommodate all of the mullions, partitions and dividers. WFS then prepared space-specific proofs for the client to approve and sign off on.
Collages of black-and-white photos from the 1920s and ‘30s were assembled to cover the windows of two meeting rooms.
To ensure fine details and vibrant colours, WFS printed the graphics in-house with a 1.6-m (64-in.) wide Roland DGA LEJ-640 hybrid flatbed ultraviolet-curing (UV-curing) inkjet printer onto Lintec of America’s E2200ZC scratch-resistant clear polyester film with UV inhibitors to prevent discolouration under sunlight.
Even though the graphics would take up only a small portion of the glass partitions’ and windows’ overall areas, the films were processed at full size to be applied to the entire surfaces, as the high clarity of the material would allow a perfect view through the glass where there were no graphics anyway. An added benefit of this approach was it meant no one could pick or scratch at the graphics, as the films ran fully from edge to edge.
Short timeline, big impact
The client wanted all of the work to be completed well before the building’s grand opening on May 31, 2013. Indeed, WFS had only a relatively short timeline of approximately four weeks to complete the project, toward the end of 2012.
The installation had an immediate effect on staff and visitors, serving both to start up new conversations and to help tell the story behind UTRCA. Those who had seen the new building take shape emphasized what a difference the graphics made to its appearance.
From concept and design to printing and completion of the project, the job met not only the client’s goals, but also WFS’s vision of a ‘flagship’ project to showcase its capabilities. Already, the project has led to considerable other opportunities, including some with the same architects and designers who worked on the UTRCA offices. In 2013, WFS worked with Hariri Pontarini Architects (HPA) on similar window-cling privacy graphics for the new Richard Ivey School of Business building at London’s University of Western Ontario (see Sign Media Canada, April 2014, page 26).
For that matter, the UTRCA project is not done yet. Following the initial installation, WFS has completed three additional phases of full-colour and black-and-white graphics, including one that ran into early 2014.
As the fields of architecture and signage increasingly overlap, more designers, decorators and architects will turn to printable window films in the future.
Peter Yates is owner of and Colin Chalmers is a regional sales representative for Window Film Systems (WFS) in London, Ont., which distributes Lintec of America’s pressure-sensitive films in Canada. For more information, visit www.windowfilmsystems.com and www.lintecofamerica.com.
