Atkins works on Southampton Legible City signage

Atkins is working on wayfinding for the Legible City project in Southampton.

The consultancy won the contract in July following a tender process, beating City ID, FW Design and CHK.

Southampton City Council has had a Legible City prototype in place for the past two years, designed by City ID. The project was put out to tender to find a more cost-effective and manageable system, says Simon Lee, project manager at Atkins.

Atkins will be working with product design group Duo. Initially, the consultancy will rationalise Southampton’s wayfinding system, providing signage and maps. It is also working on refreshing tourist information leaflets using the Legible City design guidelines.

Lee says, ‘There’s a strategic focus on connecting the central station with the rest of the city and the main high street. The next stage will be integrating the rest of the public transport in the city.’

This will include extending the project to Southampton’s old town, integrating tourist attractions such as the new Sea City Museum, says Paul Walker, team leader for transport policy at Southampton City Council.

Lee adds, ‘It’s not just telling people how to get from A to B – we want to give them a bit of background on the history and local walks you can take.’

Signage will be implemented from March 2011, and the project will continue to roll out over the next four years.

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