Wayfinding specialist, Placemarque, has been appointed to review the wayfinding strategy for Manchester’s NOMA neighbourhood and make recommendations for how it could better reflect the evolving area.
The £800 million, 20-acre mixed-use scheme kick-started with construction of the Co-op building, One Angel Square, in July 2010 and was crowned NOMA in March 2011. It has evolved since then with a raft of new buildings and re-development of existing assets and has essentially outgrown the existing signage installed in 2013.
Placemarque has delivered a number of projects across the city, including the Oxford Road Corridor, Circle Square, Mayfield and Piccadilly East and the team’s input will help improve legibility, people movement and engagement with NOMA.
On behalf of commissioning client, Federated Hermes, Placemarque is reviewing the mapping, graphic application, typography and information hierarchy of the existing hardware and will develop an evolutionary strategy, including recommendations on how the new buildings and details should be mapped.
Manchester has many great neighbourhoods and our goal is to make sure NOMA feels like a place people want to be
Sophie Campbell, managing director at Placemarque, said: “The juxtaposition of NOMA’s old and new buildings alongside its strategic gateway location, intertwined with a raft of major infrastructure elements make it a unique place.
“Manchester has many great neighbourhoods and our goal is to make sure NOMA feels like a place people want to be, not just another development. It already has so many unique elements and our focus is on bringing them together so the whole place really works.
“We’ve been based in Manchester for nearly 20 years, so we’ve seen NOMA grow and change over time. Being involved in a project that will help shape such a key part of the city is something we’re genuinely excited about.”