What goes on a project signboard?
The owner or municipality sets the content in the contract specification. It usually includes:
- Project title in Arabic and English.
- Owner, consultant and contractor with the logo and name of each.
- Project data: start date, duration, completion date, project number and use.
- Permit number and date, left blank until issued.
- Safety strip: safety first, emergency number and authorised personnel only.
Check the project specification before design: some owners fix the order of parties, colours and a minimum sign size.
Common sizes
Project signboards are usually between 2 x 3 m and 3 x 4 m. Choose the size from the distance to the road: every extra metre makes the letters easier to read from a car, but it also raises the wind load on the posts and footings.
Face and print materials
- Aluminium composite panels (ACP): flat, unaffected by humidity and suited to coastal cities. We recommend them for most projects.
- Exterior plywood: cheaper, but affected by humidity and heat over time.
- Flex banner on a frame: cheapest and fastest, but shorter lived and affected by wind.
The best print is cast vinyl with a UV laminate, so the colours do not fade before the project ends.
Why the sign needs structural design
A 10 square metre sign acts like a sail, and the wind load on it can exceed 2 tonnes in exposed areas. It therefore needs:
- A wind load calculation to SBC 301 or ASCE 7 at the basic wind speed for the site.
- Post sections that meet the stress and deflection limits; deflection usually governs.
- Footings designed against overturning and sliding, on the bearing capacity from the soil report.
- Connection details: base plate, anchor bolts and welds.
Correct design is also economical: we pick the lightest section that meets the limits instead of oversizing.
Lighting
Most specifications require the sign to be readable at night. Solar floodlights on arms above the sign need no cabling or temporary meter and work from dusk to dawn. Mains floodlights need a cable from the site board and earth leakage protection.
Corrosion protection
In coastal areas the steel is hot-dip galvanised and painted with a system for a C5 environment to ISO 12944, and the footings use sulphate resisting cement where the soil is saline.
What drives the cost?
- Size and number of faces.
- Face material and print type.
- Posts and footings, from the wind speed and the soil.
- Lighting type: solar or mains.
- Maintenance during the project, and removal and reinstatement at the end.
How the work runs
- Receive the owner requirements and the party logos.
- Graphic design and a 3D visual for approval.
- Structural calculations and shop drawings.
- Approval, then footings, fabrication and installation.
See a project signboard we designed, or our advertising services.
Frequently asked questions
What information is required on a project signboard?
Project title, owner, consultant and contractor, start date, duration and completion date, permit number and a safety strip, as set by the owner specification.
Does a project signboard need structural calculations?
Yes. A large sign takes a large wind load and needs a wind calculation and design of the posts and footings against overturning and sliding.
What is the best face material for a project signboard?
Aluminium composite panels with cast vinyl print and a UV laminate, because they are unaffected by humidity and keep their colours for the whole project.
Can the sign be lit without mains power?
Yes, with solar floodlights on arms above the sign that switch on automatically from dusk to dawn.
