Greenfield Portal Design Project: Vote for Your Favorite Sign Design
In follow up to Connect Greenfield’s March 15, 2010 community meeting on the redesign of the triangular median at Beechwood and Alger, a resident volunteer and landscape designer, Wayne from Lami Grubb Architects, agreed to develop alternative sign designs. Guidance from the community meeting included the following:
- Include “Greenfield” in the sign with “Welcomes You” as a subtext.
- Incorporate the color green into the sign design.
- Curve the sign so as to be visible from both Beechwood and the bridge approaches
- Consider the appearance of the sign from the rear, Alger Street approach.
- Light the sign from ground-mounted lights or with internal lighting.
- Keep the sign no more than 5 feet high and positioned along the eastern edge so as not to obstruct sight lines for motorists navigating through the intersection.
The designer originally developed fifteen wide ranging alternatives. Connect Greenfield and the Greenfield Organization convened the Design Committee and worked with a small group of community residents to identify the top candidates for further consideration.
The sign designs presented below are recommended to the community for comment and selection. Please vote in the sidebar for your favorite sign design and, if you’d like, discuss the different designs in the comments. The final tally for each design will be taken into account when deciding which design to go with, but the top-vote-getting design will not necessarily be the one that is chosen.
From Wayne:
Greenfield is a special place, unique in many ways from other neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. Our sign should reflect this. The goal of the sign’s design is to identify for visitors, remind residents, and inform the unknowing where they are and that they are welcomed. It should reflect the history of the neighborhood and the city as well as be a design of high quality and low maintenance.
Sign Option A:
This sign is patina copper connected to a concrete base. The copper curves opposite of the base below. The base below could also have plantings. The word “Greenfield” could be cut-out metal letters and applied to the copper. The words “Welcome You” would be the same cut-out metal letters attached to the base. The entire sign could be face lit from below. As an option, the word “Greenfield” could be cut out of the copper sign, similar to Option C below, and lit from the inside. The rear of the sign would provide a backdrop of patina copper for the plantings.
Sign Option B:
In this sign, the “Greenfield” letters are painted cut-out metal letters applied to a stainless steel panel supported with painted steel posts on a brick base. The “welcomes you” words are cut-out metal letters on pins mounted into the planting bed below. The sign could be lit from below in the planting bed.
As options, the backing material can be a translucent composite or glass material or a different metal. The base could be stacked stone, tile or other high weathering material.
Sign Option C:
This sign consists of two layers. The front layer is core ten – a steel that develops a rust coating that protects the steel from further rusting. This layer would have the letters of “Greenfield” cut out. The back layer would be a green painted steel. There would be a gap of about 3″ between the 2 layers. Lights mounted between the layers would illuminate the sign at night. The words “welcomes you” would be cut-out metal letters mounted on the surface of the core ten. The base could also be stone, brick or other high wear materials. The rear of the sign would provide a backdrop of core ten copper for the plantings.
As an option, the 2nd layer could be a translucent material, so in the day time, the word “Greenfield” would glow. At night the back side would glow.
Sign Option D:
This sign is a reflection of the Greenfield hills. The rounded hill shapes consist of painted cut-out metal plates. There are gaps in between the plates. Lights could be installed between them so some hills would have a “halo” effect. There could also be lights in front to light the face of the sign. The word “Greenfield” would be made of painted cut-out metal letters mounted to the concrete base below. The base could also be brick or stone. The hills would also adorn the rear plantings.
One option would be to make the cut-out metal letters copper instead of painted and give each letter a different level of patina to create a natural green color.
Sign Option E:
This sign is more asymmetric than the other signs. The letters “Greenfield” are cut-out metal letters (stainless steel or painted metal) applied over frosted colored glass or acrylic. The glass is mounted to a concrete base. There is another frosted glass on the back to further diffuse the words from the backside. The interior frame work is bent steel converging to an imaginary point beyond the sign creating a sense of arrival. Lights would be mounted between the glass plates. The words “welcomes you” would be cut-out metal mounted on the base below. The rear view of the sign would be the reverse image of the front view.
Patrick said:
Testing. Testing (I actually like them all.)
Christa said:
Had some browser issues this the voting…only IE worked. The side navigation vote area didn’t work at all.
Oh..Love the designs..but E is by far the best…<3
Roz said:
A is too busy and a good target for graffiti
B just too heavy looking
C boring !
D is light, bright and airy. More artistic in design
E unattractive and too commercial looking. Also a good target!
Jennifer said:
Option A – I think it would be really cool to cut the letters out and light them from the inside.
Option B – I would worry that the “welcomes you” letters might get vandalized but if this is the chosen sign I think it would be nice if the bricks were replaced with stacked stones. I like the stainless steel but think glass could be cool too.
Option C – I like the idea of it glowing during the day.
Option D – Eh.
Option E – I’m not sure what I think of seeing the reverse from the rear. I’d like to see a photo.
I do think it’s interesting that none of them are curved like the list above suggests.
Chris said:
Really like option C–think the rusted steel would contrast beautifully with the lettering, have a great texture, and would also remind people of the neighborhood’s history and proximity to the factories in Hazelwood and Homestead.
Option D’s a close second. I like the hills…
As Patrick said, I like them all.
Aurora said:
For those of you worried about graffiti on any of the sign designs, all signs will be treated with graffiti-proof substance (similar to that used on the murals).
Additionally, CG does intend to install all final sign designs curved, as specified in the previous community meeting.
MattU said:
I must say, that unlike the Hough’s mural design, I would be happy if any of them won. (Thankfully, my favorite horse won that race.) They all have a nice look to them, and I would be proud to have them represent my neighborhood. That said, I am voting for D.
Ammie said:
I would be happy looking at any of those on a daily basis.
My husband perfers A
Erin said:
I have to agree with Matt – all of the designs are worthy of winning. My only concern is with option E – I’ve seen many a busted-out bus shelter around town. I worry that anything featuring glass or acrylic would suffer the same fate.
I too, am in the option D camp!
Sarah said:
Option A is definitely my favorite. Option B feels more like Squirrel Hill than like Greenfield. For option E I’d worry about the glass eventually getting smashed.
Paul said:
I like C the most. I think it looks impressive, yet warm.
E would be second.
D reminds me too much of a cartoon, or a Super Mario Brothers backdrop. I wouldn’t mind seeing Greenfield’s hills incorporated into one of the designs, but from that illustration, it looks a little cheezy to me.
Gail & Tim Bouvy said:
We like A or D. We like the look of copper when it has a patina and the area for plants. I also like D because of the use of glass and the image of the bridge.
Adam L said:
Putting subjective, artistic opinion aside for a moment, I’d like to note the following practical concerns of each design and the materials it incorporates. My comments are intended to bring up the functional issues for which there may be solutions so each of the designs may be improved and potential future problems avoided.
- A & B have floral planters in front of “Welcomes You” which will need ongoing maintenance.
- Any of the signs that have lighting: LEDs are energy efficient and have the longest life so as to not require frequent lamp changes, but do not generate enough heat to melt snow if used as an externally placed front light for the sign. LEDs are also initially expensive, but save money in the long run in electrical costs and maintenance. Where would the photo-sensor for the lights be placed (timers would have to be reset for each season and don’t allow for dark/cloudy days)?
- B: The stainless steel, though sleek, may be an occasional hazard or nuisance from the glare of reflected sunlight at certain times of the day. Drivers may have a moment of blindness at the intersection and occupants in the businesses at that corner building may experience undesirable glare.
- C: Over time, the rust from the steel would drip down and probably stain the concrete base unless a “gutter” indentation is provided at the base where the steel and concrete meet.
- All of the signs have some surface-mounted letters which will accumulate dust/dirt on the top surfaces. This dust/dirt may cause streaking when it runs down the facade so a source of water may need to be convenient to facilitate cleaning. C, with its cut-out letters may need similar cleaning because dust/dirt may accumulate in the cut-outs unless the voids are filled with a transparent material.
- Any of the signs that have paint may need to be repainted at some point unless a clearcoat finish is applied to reduce color-loss and weathering.
E: Glass on a street-level sign, though visually attractive, has a very high potential for damage by vandals.
Artistically, the flowing lines and variety in the shades of green make “C” the most visually interesting and appealing choice, while the incorporation of the “hills” ties it in thematically with the neighborhood.
Steve said:
Option D
Adam L said:
Some additional practical considerations:
- There is a pole on the island that could obstruct the sign when viewed from Beechwood Boulevard. The sign’s position would need to be closer to the bridge end of the island to reduce the chance of the sign being obscured by the post.
- B & E: The sun at its low angle in the morning has the greatest potential for causing glare off a stainless steel or galss surface.
Peggy Yalch said:
I like all of them. My fear is anything with copper may be vandalized. I guess that’s a chance we’ll take with any choice.
Robin H. said:
Wow, what a great job on the signs. I actually like them all! To narrow it down though it’s either D or E for me! I really like E, it caught my eyes instantly!
Sara said:
Option D with the patina screams GF to me!
Linda C said:
They are wonderful designs. Option B with letters attached to pins in the flower bed, concerns me that they are vulnerable to vandalism.
I like the contrast on option C, but wonder about the natural rusting look?
Option E will that look wash out?
What are the costs of the designs and who is paying for it? Greenfield will benefit from the this new portal look.
Thanks
Becky D. said:
I like option D with the copper. Will there be a bench near the sign as well?
Kristen M. said:
B