Monongalia
General Hospital
Morgantown,
WV
Situation
Founded in 1977 and located in Morgantown,
West Virginia, Monongalia General Hospital
is a
189 bed community hospital and the cornerstone
of the Mon Health System. Mon Health System
is
an integrated health care delivery system
that provides a full range of family centered
care to residents
of north-central West Virginia and southwestern
Pennsylvania. With a mission to “Deliver
the best
healthcare.” Mon General is constantly
striving to improve the patient experience.
INNERFACE Architectural Signage was hired
to develop a master plan for signage and
wayfinding as
a new tower, the Hazel Ruby McQuain Tower,
was added to the existing campus. The hospital
was
looking for a partner to help them develop
an integrated interior and exterior signage
system that was
modular and flexible yet unique enough that
it would not be seen any where else.
With the addition of the new tower to the
campus, all interior and exterior wayfinding
required review
and updating. The INNERFACE environmental
graphic design team conducted a thorough study
of the entire campus to understand and observe
both pedestrian and vehicular traffic flow
patterns
as well as flow from parking areas to entrances
and destinations. All sign types were evaluate
for both
placement and message effectiveness including:
- Entrance Identification/Destination
- Parking Areas
- Directional
- Code Compliannce
Solutions - Exterior
The addition of the new tower brought
with it several new wayfinding challenges.
It was important to Mon General that the
sign family be simple, as not to interfere
with the dramatic
presence of the building architecture. So
beyond a simple form, the aesthetics relied
on consistent
corporate logo and color compositions. And
then managing the messaging content to be
minimal,
yet not leave gaps in the decision making
process, for a first time visitor or patient.
Key Identification and Directional signs
are internally illuminated, to allow for
a better visual
presence at night.
Exterior donor recognition needed to be
accessible and intimate. The solution became
a low profile,
pedestal type sign, which allows the viewer
to walk around the sign, and experience
it from any angle.
The newly installed signage and wayfinding
system manages traffic flow, ensures message
visibility
and locate signs for optimal impact.
Solutions - Interior
Working with the interior finish pallette,
our environmental graphic designers were able
to design a signage and wayfinding system
that incorporates specific finish materials
such as metal and wood laminates combined
with patterns and colors used in parts of
the facility.
The result is a system that blends well
with the facility aesthetics and seamlessly
ties the new
tower to the remodeled buildings on campus.
As part of the overall design effort, INNERFACE
was asked to create new three dimensional
logos for major departments and hospital
functions. A total of eight new logos were
developed and implemented as part of the
new signage and wayfinding system.
The new logos are used as both stand along
“destination identifiers” as well
as icons on directional signage.
To help ensure the long-term effectiveness
of the wayfinding system, both the front
and back of house signage designs are modular
making them simple and cost effective to
update.
Success
With installation now complete and the
new tower open, the new signage and wayfinding
system is proving to be a success.
Through the use of a variety of materials,
INNERFACE and Mon General were able to enhance
branding and create increase destination
visibility while creating a more patient
friendly campus environment.
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