The identity of any building is complex. It is influenced by its architectural style and age, its use, who owns, manages and uses it over time, and by the associations that people have with it.
​
Design features can help to convey identity, to highlight what is unique about a building and what happens there. 

Examples

Playing with iconography

Images or symbols associated with particular uses or a building’s heritage can help to convey what a building is for or how it wants to be seen. 

Sheffield Buddhist Centre
Adding a Buddha statue to the belfry marked a shift in use of this building from a Catholic seminary to a Buddhist centre
Source: Empowering Design Practices

Winton Chapel, University of Winchester
A cross built into the walls of this chapel extension, helped to reinforce that this was still a place actively serving the faith community
Source: Design Engine Architects

Referencing cultural history

The design of spaces can reflect local people and their diverse cultural histories.  This tiled way-finding system on a south London estate created by local artists and designers includes tiles inspired by Victorian motifs, Portuguese tiles and the Empire Windrush ship which brought West Indian immigrants to the UK in 1948.
​

Stockwell Park Estate, London
​Source: Empowering Design Practices

Revealing hidden treasures

Re-imagining an existing building can lead to the discovery of hidden elements or reveal significant traces of the past. In this church, the uncovering of a mural (thought to have been destroyed) by war artist Evelyn Gibbs during refurbishment works served as a catalyst for a new phase of work to open up the medieval church.
​

St Martin’s Church, Bilborough 
Before refurbishment
​​​Source: Hilary Wheat

St Martin’s Church, Bilborough 
After refurbishment
​​​Source: Hilary Wheat

Signalling a shift in use

A change of use can be conveyed using visual clues. This conversion of Edwardian school buildings into an arts centre includes bold signage at the building’s entrances and a striking lightbox that illuminates the main entrance and provides a billboard for a changing art installation.
​

Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff
Source: Chapter Arts; Artwork: Cornelia Baltes
Chapter Arts; Ash Sakula Architects

Decorative branding

​The identity of a building can be reinforced through different applications of a common theme. When a new community cafe named ‘Home’ was created at this church, they used furnishings, signage and other decorative features to create a familiar feeling of homeliness and a connection with the spirit of the church. 

Home Community Café at Emmanuel Church, Didsbury
​​Source: Empowering Design Practices

Take a look at your building

Looking at what’s there​
​

1. How does your building tell people what happens there, who manages it and who uses it?
   
   
2. How does your building communicate and celebrate its history and the people connected with it in the past and present?
   
   
3. What does the decoration of your building convey about its identity?

Looking to the future​​
​

1. What aspects of the building’s history should most strongly influence the story and values that inform your building’s identity looking forward?
   
   
2. How can design changes, small or large, help you communicate the identity of your building?
   
   
3. Are new uses being introduced into the building? If so, how can design changes signal either a new identity or reinforce your existing identity?

​Legibility >

Contact Us