SIGN AND SYMBOL
Motorway direction signs, illuminated petrol station signs, gigantic internally illuminated advertising hoardings, corporate symbols, internationally recognized logos and customized shop fascias. Intended to inform, sometimes intrusive, occasionally amusing, frequently flamboyant, often mundane, at times provocative, they are rarely unnoticed. For better or worse, signs in their multifarious colorful forms are an integral part of urban life and a signifier of the spread of global capitalism. The Nova Factory and Office building is the headquarters of Turkey’s largest manufacturer of large format illuminated and non-illuminated signage. The ‘L shaped’ plan utilizes a simple orthogonal structure with a three storey office building incorporating showrooms and staff and visitor restaurants, fronting the flat roofed production space. A subtle curve is introduced in the main façade, a ‘trace’ of a wheel, alluding to the fact that the founder of Nova was formerly one of Turkey’s most accomplished motor rally drivers. Conceptually the building is itself a sign, a vast hoarding and an advertisement for the quality of the Nova product.