REPLACEMENT AVAILABILITY: All signs must be American made and under standard GSA warranties. All work shall be closely coordinated with the designated VA personnel. The various phases shall be closely supervised by the design/build contractor and regular on-site planning meetings between all parties are mandatory. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES: It is important to the VA that the vendor and the products provided are manufactured with sustainability and environmental attributes in mind. Aluminum and extruded products for interior and exterior should feature 75% recycled content or higher. All composite board or hard board products should be EPP Downstream certified for low formaldehyde content and sustainable practices. 5. DELIVERY AND STORAGE: A. Deliver materials to job in manufacturer's original sealed containers with brand name marked thereon. Protect materials from damage. B. Package to prevent damage or deterioration during shipment, handling, storage, and installation. Maintain protective covering in place and in good repair until removal is necessary. C. Deliver signs only when the site and mounting services are ready for installation work to proceed. D. Store products in dry condition inside enclosed facilities. 6. APPLICABLE PUBLICATIONS A. The publications listed below form a part of this specification to the extent referenced. The publications are referenced in the text by the basic designation only. B. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM): B209-01.................Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Sheet and Plate. B221-05.................Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Extruded Bars, Rods, Wire, Shapes, and tubes. C. Federal Specifications (Fed Spec): MIL-PRF-8184F...........Plastic Sheet, Acrylic, Modified. MIL-P-46144C..............Plastic Sheet, Polycarbonate. D. Federal Highway Administration Manuals on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Street and Highways. E. Americans with Disabilities Act 1990. 7. SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS: CONTINUUM Series Signage (Refer to Attached Drawings for Sign System Standards): 1. Tactile and Braille Characters, raised minimum 0.793 mm (1/32 in). Characters shall be accompanied by Grade 2 Braille where required by ADA. 2. Type Styles: Refer to Drawing Standards for Approved Design 3. Character Height: Comply with ADA regulations and sign standards. 4. ADA Required Symbols (Pictograms): Equivalent written description shall be placed directly below symbol, outside of symbol's background field. Border dimensions of symbol background shall be minimum 150 mm (6 in) high. 5. Finish and Contrast: Signs shall be non-glare acrylic finish with adequate contrast. 6. Mounting Location and Height: Mount on wall adjacent to the latch side of the door in accordance with ADA and to avoid door swing / protruding objects. 7. Signs / pockets shall be mounted into extruded aluminum sign frame system with a spring clip loading feature to accept varying material thicknesses during in field operation from 1/16 to 1/2 . 8. Aluminum frame/system to be clear anodized with a minimum of 75% recycled content. Profile depth shall be .75 with a subtle radius and chamfer profile. Aluminum holders shall have precision mitered corners that are mechanical assembly via concealed fasteners. 9. Signs must mechanically fasten to the wall (no adhesive mounting unless a special exception in area exists). 10. Room ID signs shall have an insert software program with unlimited licenses that auto scales copy allowing signs to be updated in house on any standard computer and printer. 11. Subsurface color and graphics unless required otherwise for ADA. 12. Color and graphics shall be subsurface digitally printed direct to substrate with a variable dot pattern, UV Ink containing NO VOCs and LED curing. Painting, screen printing and laminates shall NOT be used. 8. DETAILED SCOPE: Detailed Scope is in Addition to the General Scope Listed Above: A. Interior Room Identification The vendor shall program, manufacture, and install new interior room and identification signs for the recently renovated areas. This will involve programming and sign location plans being prepared including a complete sign message schedule identifying each sign, its message, and its type. Interior Room Identification should follow the standard already set by the VA per attached drawings. Room Identification signs must feature an open license application that auto scales the copy to fit each sign approximately for creating new sign inserts in house on any standard computer or printer. B. Directional and Wayfinding Signage The vendor shall program, manufacture, and install new directional and wayfinding signs for the entire renovated areas. These signs shall be programmed, manufactured, and installed including a complete sign message schedule identifying each sign, its message, and its type. Sign location plans shall be prepared showing the placement/location of directional signs. A report must accompany this identifying the general wayfinding theory, themes and plan being implemented. Directional and Wayfinding signage should follow the design standard already set by the VA per attached drawings. This is more than a sign replacement and requires an experienced wayfinding designer. C. Life Safety and Regulatory Signage Where required the vendor shall program, manufacture, and install new or updates to existing life safety, regulatory, and policy signage. These signs shall be programmed, manufactured, and installed including life safety, code, VA policy, and regulatory signage. This will involve programming and sign location plans being prepared for regulatory, code and life safety signs. Life Safety and Regulatory signage should follow the design standard already set by the VA per attached drawings. 9. PRODUCTS GENERAL: A. Signs of type, size and design shown on the drawing and as specified represent the intent and guideline for the new signage system. B. Signs complete with lettering, framing and related components for a complete installation. C. Provide graphics items as completed units produced by a single manufacturer, including necessary mounting accessories, fittings, and fasteners. D. Do not scale drawings for dimensions. The contractor is to verify and be responsible for all dimensions and conditions shown by these drawings. Resident Engineer to be notified of any discrepancy in drawing, in field directions or conditions, and/or of any changes required for all. such construction details. E. The Sign Contractor, by commencing work of this section, assumes overall responsibility, as part of his warranty of work, to assure that assemblies, components, and parts shown or required within the work of the section, comply with the Contract Documents. The Contractor shall further warrant that all components specified or required to satisfactorily complete the installation are compatible with each other and with the conditions of installations. 10. SIGN STANDARDS / CONSTRUCTION CONTINUUM Series Interior Signage Sign components shall utilize a component-based sign system with a type II class I extruded aluminum frame composed of clear anodized aluminum with a minimum of 75% recycled content. Aluminum holder shall have precision mitered corners that are mechanical assembly via concealed fasteners (gluing framing extrusions to a back-plate or other means for a non-mechanical assembly is not acceptable). Aluminum frame profile depth shall be .75 with a subtle radius and chamfer profile design elements for a modern and timeless aesthetic. Completed frame assembly must be available in size increments of not more than an ¼ in both length and width to provide unlimited holder dimension options to meet various needs. All extrusion and aluminum components shall be manufactured in the USA. System shall feature a spring clip loading feature or similar for sign contents. This will allow the system to: a) Readily accept sign parts and design elements of various thicknesses (room numbers, inserts, paper, dry erase, woods, metals, etc.) while in service after installation without customization to maximize system flexibility b) Feature a push and slide method for insert and component removal requiring no special tools. c) Allow sign inserts and components to be easily removed with no portion of the frame requiring disassembly. Interior Sign Parts to Go in Sign Holder System Acrylic parts are composed of a two ply and three-ply construction, the first ply being 1/16" thick matte finish acrylic, the second ply being 4mm thick closed cell PVC, and the laminate adhesive being a double coated pressure sensitive polypropylene film rated at 56 oz/in minimum adhesion per PSTC-1T. The room number portion uses injected molded ABS characters. Grade II Braille to be produced with high pressure surface beading directly below tactile number 3/16 minimum. Braille translation via Duxbury Braille translator. Wood accents shall be fabricated from multi-layered fire-retardant thermo-plastic sheet with a class A decorative embossed film in the finish specified. Color and graphics shall be subsurface digitally printed direct to substrate with a variable dot pattern, UV Ink containing NO VOCs and LED curing. Painting, screen printing, and laminates shall not be used. Surface color or copy is not acceptable unless required for ADA compliance. 11. FABRICATION: A. Design components to allow for expansion and contraction for a minimum material temperature range of 56 °C (100 °F), without causing buckling, excessive opening of joints or over stressing of adhesives, welds, and fasteners. B. Form work to required shapes and sizes, with true curve lines and angles. Provide necessary rebates, lugs, and brackets for assembly of units. Use concealed fasteners whenever and wherever possible. C. Shop fabricate so far as practical. Joints fastened flush to conceal reinforcement or welded where thickness or section permits. D. Contact surfaces of connected members are true; assembled so joints will be tight and practically unnoticeable, without use of filling compound. E. Signs shall have fine, even texture and be flat and sound. Lines and miters sharp, arises unbroken, profiles accurate and ornament true to pattern. Plane surfaces must be smooth flat and without oil-canning, free of rack and twist. The maximum variation from plane of surface is plus or minus 0.3 mm (0.015 inches). Restore texture to filed or cut areas. F. Level or straighten wrought work. Members shall have sharp lines and angles and smooth surfaces. G. Extruded members to be free from extrusion marks. Square turns and corners sharp, curves true. H. Drill holes for bolts and screws. Conceal fastenings where possible. Exposed ends and edges mill smooth, with corners slightly rounded. Form joints exposed to weather to exclude water. I. Finish hollow signs with matching material on all faces, tops, bottoms and ends. Edge joints are tightly mitered to give the appearance of solid material. J. All painted surfaces properly primed. Finish coating of paint to have complete coverage with no light or thin applications allowing substrate or primer to show. The finished surface must be smooth, free of scratches, gouges, drips, bubbles, thickness variations, foreign matter, and other imperfections. K. Movable parts, including hardware, are to be cleaned and adjusted to operate as designed without binding or deformation of members. Doors and covers centered in opening or frame. All contact surfaces fit tight and even without forcing or warping components. 12. EXECUTION INSTALLATION: A. Protect products against damage during field handling and installation. Protect adjacent existing and newly placed construction and finishes as much as possible during installation to limit wall damage. B. Mount signs in proper alignment, level and plumb according to the sign location plan and the dimensions given on elevation and sign location drawings. Where otherwise not dimensioned, signs shall be installed where best suited to provide a consistent appearance throughout the project. When exact position, angle, height, or location is in doubt, contact Resident Engineer for clarification. C. Existing signage removal and wall restoration if required is not part of this project s scope. D. Prior to installation all locations must be marked and approved by the COTR.