The brief

Evaclite contacted us with the idea of designing and developing ‘dynamic’ emergency exit signage. They had tested the idea with an academic research group and found that having a dynamic element to the sign such as flashing arrows draws the eye and helps people to evacuate more quickly in an emergency.

The signs must also have adaptive capabilities. This allows the central system to control the flow of evacuation by illuminating signs with a red cross if they lead towards hazard areas. This led to 2x faster sign detection and 3x quicker decision making when identifying the best exit from the area.

The bang

We had to ensure that the illuminations were clear, cost-effective and within the scope of the existing BSI safety criteria. As a result, much of this project focused on research, prototyping and testing. This was particularly challenging as our product created a new category of emergency signage that did not have its own safety assessment procedure. We had to work to existing standards for passive signage as well as setting the benchmark for all future dynamic products. Within this project, we designed many different products to fill the various needs of the market and some custom designs for tunnels and hotels. Each had their unique challenges, including keeping the lighting consistent across the range and innovating in the market whilst creating something that would still be familiar to installers. These must be long-lasting and retrofit into current locations with their fire systems.