Heritage Signage Guidelines To Give A New Visual Identity To Ekamrakshetra

Heritage Signage Guidelines To Give A New Visual Identity To Ekamrakshetra

Everyone knows that Bhubaneswar was one of the first planned cities of independent India. But its historical and cultural legacy dates back to centuries. The Ekamrakshetra area or the Old Town is the cultural heart of the Smart City Bhubaneswar. Within a radius of a few kilometres, there are more than 350 ancient temples and temple ruins which includes the famous Lingaraj Temple, the Ananta Vasudev Temple and the Mukteswar Temple Complex. 

The Heritage Cell of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) unveiled the new Heritage Signage Guidelines on Tuesday. The guidelines will help the Ekamrakshetra Heritage Development project give a comprehensive, standardised and distinctive visual look as compared to the rest of the city. 

The scope of implementation of the Heritage Signage Guidelines includes the proposed heritage district in the Bhubaneswar Development Plan Area, Ekamrakshetra Heritage Zone (Old Bhubaneswar), Aitihasik Kshetra Heritage Zone (Sishupalgarh) and Sanskritik Kshetra Heritage Zone (Dhauli). 

The unplanned, cluttered and disorienting signages in the Old Town area will see a complete overhaul as part of the new guidelines which aim to give a streamlined and coherent visual identity to the area. According to the Building Signs under the guidelines have called for declaring the Old City area a ‘no hoarding zone’. Any hoarding and/or signage that might destroy or damage the architectural character of a building, shall be removed. 

The signages of individual shops need to be consistent with the maximum possible degree with the streetscape. The Building Signs of both commercial and residential buildings shall not be painted on the original face of the laterite wall, brick wall, sandstone, terracotta and tiling or any other surface that is built with traditional knowledge, technology and technique.

Shops and other establishments inside a heritage precinct will only be allowed to have signages that can coincide with the existing historic facade and not pose any threat of damage to the original architectural signature and flow of the precinct. The guidelines cover all types of signages that might be used in demarcated heritage zones. These include directional signages, locational signages, interpretational signages, location maps, facility and emergency signages, signages for shops and other establishments and advertising signages.

The purpose of the signage guidelines is to assist in the development of signs to ensure that any new signage would respect the integrity of the building as well as the age and general character of the entire heritage district. The colour, text, font, material and scale of all signs are proposed to be in a manner that will be sensitive to the historical importance of the structure and the distinctiveness of the Old Town area.

The Heritage Signage Guidelines will be part of the Zonal Development Plan of the area concerned and there would be control measures by the development authority in the Old City area. According to the guidelines, where a number of tenants occupy the same building or row of properties, the signage is to be consistent in regards to the shape, background colour, size, fixing methods and lighting. Consistency in the placement of signs between neighbouring buildings which have a common architectural style, whether traditional or contemporary will be encouraged.

All new signages need authorisation prior to being installed. In the case of ATMs, the name and logo of the concerned bank would be written inside the interior surface of the glazed area for recognition by visitors. The signboard above the ATM will need to follow the design criteria as prescribed for all other shops.

If any organisation or individual would be found to violate the provisions, it shall be considered as unauthorised development will be punishable. In case of proven deliberate neglect of any heritage building or precinct or any damage caused to the structure or it is destroyed due to neglect, in addition to penal action proposed by BDA, no development permission to construct any new building shall be granted on the site.

The design criteria for all the signages would follow appropriate fonts, line spacing, layout/ paragraph style, letter height, letter case and arrows and symbols as per the guidelines. The principles behind the signage would focus on scale, placement, safety, clutter, context, material, colour and workmanship.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has initiated the process to install a set of 521 route signages in the Old Town area that incorporates the Kalingan style of temple architecture in its design. The information on the signage will be in Odia, Hindi and English and would cost the state administration Rs 2.75 crore.