6C — October 26 - November 8, 2012 — Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
MABFM ‘12
By Bettina R. Dill, Mohawk Sign Systems, Inc. Signage: Your interior and exterior signs can educate, be sustainable and ADA compliant
t is becoming increas- ingly vital that new and renovated buildings fol- low the latest green building trends while maintaining ADA compliance. 25 percent of the united States popula- tion have a visual disability. All things considered, this percentage is high, thus it is important to be sure the functionally blind and visu- ally impaired population can navigate their way through the public spaces we are building. Not only does con- forming to these codes and regulations increase your I
clients image in the commu- nity, it will save them money in the long run. This may seem like an impossible task or one that some people may not want to tackle. But, Mohawk Sign Systems, Inc. says, “not a problem” when it comes to combining aesthetics, sus- tainability, education and ADA compliance. your inte- rior and exterior signs can contribute to LEED points. Mohawk signs can gain you approximately six points in bothMaterials and Resources and Environmental Quality
credits. Your project can also gain extra points for LEED Edu- cational signs under the In- novation in Design Credits or Exemplary Performance Credits. By simply includ- ing an educational feature prominently displayed in the building that explains what green measures have been taken in the building, your custom- ers can earn between one and five points. We can help you put together a signage display that will help you to educate the public about the green design and build- ing practices – and help the building owners earn LEED credits in the process. Awide variety of new green signage products are available to help reach this goal. On March 15, 2012 compli- ance with the new American with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations within the re- cently adopted Department of Justice ADA Standards for Accessible Design, be- comes mandatory. Most of the language is not new, how- ever, one of the most notable changes is that this is now enforceable on the Federal level. The ADA covers all public facilities, but a court can order any facility to comply. The most relevant area of signage affected by the ADA, under Title III, is room identi- fication and wayfinding. New regulations that become man- datory on March 15 affect, not only the production of ADA-compliant signage, but the implementation of them as well. This includes the mounting location, height, finish, and visual contrast of both raised and Braille characters. If your customers are not in compliance they could be fined up to $55,000 for their first ADA violation and up to $110,000 for each subsequent violation. Mohawk has been looking out for their partners for over 65 years as a manufacturer of Architectural signage and one of the first companies to incor- porate Braille on signage. you can trust that we will be there with you helping you through the compliance maze as well as helping you gain those im- portant LEED credits. Bettina R. Dill is presi- dent of Mohawk Sign Sys- tems, Inc. ■
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