Latitude Signage Partners with R&R Realty to Help Achieve 80% Occupancy

The Challenges

At the onset of the project, Alissa, with five years at R&R, had “grandiose visions” for the buildings’ interior but wasn’t sure if it would be possible to translate those into a finished design. Of course, as they were choosing partners, cost was a consideration but sacrificing the aesthetic they were looking to develop for the Westfield Campus, was not an option.

Another initial concern was finding a signage company well-versed in both ADA interior sign requirements and city codes for the exterior signs. In West Des Moines, R&R would later find out from Latitude, there are rules that aim to limit exterior damage to the buildings as well as rules around sign design and being “too commercial-looking” – something Alissa said they had to rely on the Latitude to know and understand.

Additionally, the custom signage would need to coordinate with the overall look of the buildings and be easily recognizable as the Westfield Campus “brand”.

The Solution

After proposals were submitted in April 2018 and accepted, work on the project started in October 2018 with Latitude as their chosen partner. Having a stellar track record with R&R, Latitude was an obvious choice. “It would have been a challenge to complete a project of this magnitude without a company as skilled as Latitude. With the size of the building and multiple entry points, a wayfinding and traffic direction expert was a must,” said Alissa Nelson.

Latitude Design Build Specialist, Kristin Adkins, combines experience in design and Latitude’s depth of knowledge regarding codes and guidelines. This was crucial to the success of the project.

Working with a local company was a benefit as well. They could have gone with an out-of-state company but would not have had the responsiveness they received by partnering with Latitude. From start to finish, the project took about a year over which time there was plenty of back and forth between the two companies – brainstorming and troubleshooting things like making sure tenants’ signage was properly displayed.

“I knew someone was always working on our project,” Alissa said.

She had ideas about backlit signage in the elevator lobbies, but they had to be mindful of regulations around readability of the signs as well as including Braille for the visually impaired. And the tenant signage needed to be easy to swap out as new tenants came in. The trickiness of the layout was something Kristin helped tackle, poring over floor plans to provide carefully thought out recommendations.

“Latitude’s creative minds and feedback positively impacted the overall design,” Alissa said.

At one point, there was a roadblock as they tried to determine which type of wood to use throughout the building signs – the interior design package specified a beautiful dark prefinished wood.

“With Alissa’s help we were able to contact the exact manufacturer to acquire samples, but also learned that the material was not suitable for sign construction,” Kristin said. Latitude researched various alternatives and presented several cost-effective solutions for R&R to consider.

Kristin said “When a client gives you these amazing materials to work with, you want to honor their building design with a sign system that truly belongs.”

The Results

“The signage that represented this premier, state-of-the-art branding the Westfield Campus has become known for, has added tremendous value to the R&R Corporate Headquarters. It’s the reason so many tenants wanted to be a part of it,” R&R Design Manager, Alissa Nelson, said.

“We were able to lease space in the building at a faster pace than expected, reaching 80% occupancy in just 10 months,” said Marketing Director, Spencer Shireman.

The Westfield Campus is a symbol of community and the common area with beautiful, functional signage contributed to that desired effect.

The design of the buildings was done with the idea of a common destination point and open collaborative space, driving connections between different employers and their employees and Latitude was integral in achieving that.

“Partners like R&R is what it is all about. Collaboration across all aspects of a project make everyone rise to the top,” said Tony Squire, Latitude’s Business Development Manager.

The work they’ve done together will likely lead to future projects, both teams say.

“When you collaborate like this, it’s important to bring Latitude on from the beginning and know your budget upfront and get clear on the deliverables from day one,” Alissa said. It’s also important to look at prior work and weigh the high quality you’ll receive against the cost.

Whether you pay for higher quality or choose a lower-cost option, “you’ll pay for it one way or another,” said Shireman.

“All projects are unique,” said Latitude’s Tony Squire — “but a strong partnership with my clients is critical to executing an on-brand result.”