Client:
Undisclosed Secure Washington Institution
Property Owner
Donohoe Construction
Location:
Washington, D.C.
Architect:
Gensler
Project Overview
The Cochran & Mann team was led by Co-Owner and Vice President, Will Cochran and Senior Project Manager Charlie Dukes. This expansive project involved updating two underground parking garages that serve Unspecified Secure Washington Institution employees, building occupants, and visitors alike. These updates came in the form of directional signage for parking, wall and floor graphics, and egress path identification for foot traffic. In addition, the wall and floor coatings were sealed using a high-performance epoxy coating for lasting results. The vibrant color scheme was provided by Sherwin-Williams and allows for easy identification of direction.
Challenges
The massive project consisted of a strategic combination of vinyl decals, acrylic and painted signage designed to fit various site lines, directional and color-identified level information specific to various locations within the seven levels of parking structure space. Both of these locations had to be field-verified and dimensioned so that the design layout would fit appropriately. The entirety of the project work occurred at night so as to not disturb the building's occupants during the work day. This led to a compressed completion schedule to finish before the client re-occupied the building.
The Result
Despite the challenges, the Cochran & Mann team was able to deliver high-quality signage, graphics, and path identification to the two underground parking structures. Partnering with Jack Stone Signs, we were happy to work in tandem with their crews on the design, fabrication, and installation of signage and graphics throughout both garages. The project was finished on schedule with an extremely pleased client.
Over the years, Cochran & Mann has completed dozens of wayfinding projects for a range of clients, and it is extremely useful in parking structures for a variety of reasons. The beautification of these garages is something ‘out of the norm’ for most people, so it is extremely memorable when they experience it. Specific artwork pieces, fonts, lettering, directions, etc. allow people to know precisely where they parked and where they are in relation to their end destination. This is especially true in underground structures where most people do not have an anchor point such as other buildings, trees, or scenery to pinpoint where they are.
“It was a pleasure partnering with Cochran & Mann on the Undisclosed Secure Washington Institution project. There were a few challenges due to the client’s shifting timeframe, review, and approval process. Once we had all that resolved I believe everything went rather smoothly. The project turned out to be a visually beautiful space that you typically do not see in a parking garage. I would be happy to work with Cochran & Mann on any future projects”
– Rebecca Budka, Jack Stone Signs, Account Manager
