used with mobile nav - no delete

Blog

Which Tactile Signs are Buildings Required to Have?

ada stair signs

Every public building must have a certain set of tactile signs in place that comply with the ADA guidelines. For interior designers and architects, this means that understanding which signs your client’s building requires becomes a necessity when working on a project.

While the ADA guidelines are relatively easy to follow, the penalties for breaking them can amount to fines and litigation. To reduce the risks of this, designers should make sure they fully understand what signs are required to be posted in all commercial buildings.

Defining Commercial Buildings

The ADA defines a commercial building as a facility used as, or designed or constructed for use as a place of public accommodation. These can include:

  • Hotels
  • Schools & Campuses
  • Restaurants & Bars
  • Corporate Offices
  • Manufacturing Plants & Warehouses
  • Municipal Buildings

ADA Signs that Must Always be Displayed

In general, there are a few tactile signs that every commercial building must have. These include:

  • Signs inside stairwells that identify the floor, stair and exit levels
  • Signs by every elevator
  • Signs that identify restrooms (and accessible restrooms)
  • Signs identifying any permanent rooms

Permanent rooms are those that do not change function. These rooms must be identified by a sign with the room’s name (kitchens, closets, etc.). Any temporary rooms (offices, classrooms, etc.) that do not serve a permanent function can be identified with a number.

Signs that Do Not Need to be ADA Compliant

There are certain interior and exterior signs that do not need to follow ADA guidelines. Some of these include:

  • Building Addresses
  • Directories
  • Parking Signs
  • Temporary Signs (any signs that will be removed in less than 7 days after installation)

Tactile Sign Specifications

There are guidelines that govern the specific fonts, finishes and pictograms that ADA signs can have. You can read more about how to comply with ADA signage requirements on our site or download our specifications sheet for more information.

Replacing Old Tactile Signs

Even if a building already has ADA signs in place, they must be updated to abide by the latest ADA guidelines whenever significant renovations take place. That’s why it is important to consult with a company that understands ADA guidelines.

At Encompass, we work with designers and architects to help facilitate the process of sign creation. Just submit your designs to us, and our team will use our unique thermoforming process to create signs for your next project. Contact our team today to get started.

ADA signs, thermoformed signsEncompassEncompass Sign Systems1 Comment

A Gold Timex to Photopolymer ADA Signage!

Thanks for your service to industry for the last 25 years. Photopolymer signs have been the predominant choice of designers for tactile ADA signage for a quarter of a century. Thankfully, at the inception of ADA legislation in the late 80’s and early 90’s photopolymer signs provided a standard process and uniform look for ADA signage. 

Without photopolymer ADA signs, designers in the 90’s would have chosen sub-standard, ineffective and random sign designs for their building environments. 

Before Beanie Babies, the World Wide Web, and before anyone understood the importance of branding…. photopolymer signs made it easier to outfit a building with ADA signs.  Even after the Japanese tsunami forced core prices to double, photopolymer signs remained the only good choice for designers. Thankfully, new technology has finally evolved. 

Thermoformed ADA signs give designers the creative latitude and durability that designers need to meet their client’s branding needs, at an appealing price point.  It’s no surprise that according to Dodge Analytics, “Thermoformed ADA signs” saw an increase of 237% in Specifications in 2016. Thermoformed signs are now universally acknowledged in Specs as an “approved equal” to photopolymer signs and that’s a big win for ADA thermoforming manufacturers. Those who really know about the differences between photopolymer ADA signs and thermoformed ADA signs are knocking clients off their feet with new ideas never available until now.

Photopolymer signs are still plenty viable.  There are over 3,000 sign-makers that still maintain their relationship with the two surviving raw material photopolymer providers. Machinery needed to produce these signs still exists and is almost free to get started; it’s the raw photopolymer material price increases to watch out for...  While Father Time and new technology may have caught up to photopolymers signs, their contribution and service to the industry over the last 25 years certainly must be treasured!   

To learn how to use this new thermoforming ADA technology and provide your design team a new design tool belt, durability and scalable branding offering, follow this link http://www.encompasssign.com/gallery/ or simply contact us 855-672-2201

Adam Halverson, Chief Strategist : adamh@encompasssign.com

About Encompass Sign Systems

Encompass Sign Systems specializes in thermoformed tactile signs and leading-edge directional and wayfinding systems. We provide designers and architects with highly scalable wholesale signage that have limitless branding capabilities and unsurpassed durability.