A Sky-High Sign Challenge

Sometimes installing new signage can be just as demanding as designing and building it. Take the huge signs atop the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources in Downtown Detroit. Here the installation process was nearly a high-wire act.

Within the Center, UAW members at GM and GM salaried employees receive training on new plant-floor operations and equipment. The Center’s ongoing concerns for safety and efficiency were duly reflected in their choice of SignGraphix to design and prepare bid specifications for fabricating and installing the building’s exterior signage.

The SignGraphix concept called for signs made of steel and aluminum, measuring 24 feet wide, 12 feet high, and nearly two feet deep. SignGraphix then worked with the Center’s management, city officials, and structural engineers to devise the installation plan.

The team considered using a crane on the building’s roof to lift the signs into position. Due to concerns about the crane’s weight, however, they quickly ruled out this option. Instead, a helicopter carried the signs to the installation crew. The challenge of planning and executing this task proved so daunting that, in the end, only SignGraphix bid on the job.

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