Design Build Series Part 2: Project Example

In the second installment of this topic, we share a case study example of a recently completed healthcare project (see our part 1: introduction for further information on the Design-Build process).

Fremont Health (Fremont, Nebraska) underwent an extensive campus upgrade and rebranding that required understanding of their new brand identity, existing facility, building expansion needs and exterior campus-wide wayfinding. With the new branding of the hospital, a new five story tower was erected as an addition to the existing building. Remodeling and building expansion took place within the adjoining senior care living building, Dunklau Gardens. The exterior of the campus would also require new wayfinding needs and a complete rebranding of the look of all exterior signage.

Designing Variations on Branded Signage

While the exterior signage solution would mostly unify the campus under a single brand identity, the interior required a more unique approach to area personalization while still creating and obtaining some unified branding. The new tower and Dunklau project would both require new signage yet they are separate entities connected by the already existing hospital in the middle.

The design process in handling these needs meant that Latitude and an internal team at Fremont Health, would meet on a regular schedule to discuss each specific need and project phase. The design solution that Latitude presented would ultimately allow for each area to showcase their own identity while still maintaining an overall cohesive look that would unite the separate identities into a family.

This approach allowed for typefaces, basic materials, basic sign sizes to stay the same between the different areas while colors, applications, sign shape, images or graphics provided the personalization desired. Latitude’s choice in doing this would also allow Fremont Health to, in the future, update old signage in the existing hospital areas to follow suite with an updated look that would play into the new family of signs or simply utilize the same new standards being implemented in the Tower expansion.

Seamless Management from Design to Installation

Latitude’s decision to approach the designs in this manner also allowed for a timelier solution to a fast paced and multi-faceted project. While signage between the Tower and Dunklau Gardens looks very different upon first glance, the subtler queues that tie them into a family meant faster drawings could be produced, typesetting and other production methods would be more streamlined and the review process would go smoother. Terminology and wayfinding were both handled in a similar manner. The hospital’s internal team and Latitude helped to make sure terminology used between all areas were consistent, as it previously was not.

As part of the extensive Design Build and wayfinding solution, Latitude would make sure that the wayfinding through the connection areas, within the Tower and within Dunklau Gardens would work in a predictable and cohesive manner. Latitude made sure wayfinding and terminology was then updated on the exterior campus to function seamlessly with internal wayfinding choices made.

Due to the Tower and Dunklau Gardens operating separately they each relied on slightly different timelines for construction phases. Latitude’s design and sign planning stages happened upfront and as a single large project in order to expedite the overall project approval and to better handle design and wayfinding as a whole. The different areas were then sub-divided into separate phasing for install. Since all the sign planning and designs were completed and approved upfront, this created an extremely streamlined approach to production and install. Working on all areas as a single unit from the start of the project allowed for better visualization of the end product and results. Doing so created a more proactive and efficient approach through each phasing. This meant better adaptability to wayfinding and design, less revising to plans and less mistakes, saving on time and cost of the project.

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