Forms+Surfaces Specialty Signage

Vendor Collaboration | Cornelius Signage
Wayfinding Division of Forms+Surfaces

Forms+Surfaces designs and manufactures architectural products used in public spaces around the world. You’ll find their products in office buildings, airports, hotels, universities, healthcare facilities, parks, and city centers.

As a Forms+Surfaces company, Cornelius Signage has access to the wide range of unique materials in their library to incorporate into signage designs. Materials range from textured stainless steels with a PVD finish to reclaimed hardwoods to high-strength concretes.

F+S product lines include:

• CASTGLASS: This innovative collection draws on two arenas – artistic cast glass design and sophisticated glass lamination technologies – and continues evolving as a contemporary glass family with unrivaled visual potential.
• STAINLESS STEEL: Unmatched in quality and beauty, Forms+Surfaces is the world’s premier resource for architectural stainless steel. High-durability finishes and a wide range of distinctive patterns offer limitless design and performance options for public spaces of all kinds.
• WOOD VENEER: Wood Veneer combines exceptional durability with the warmth and richness of real wood. Six standard wood veneer options. Finished with three coats of CAB acrylic lacquer for superior abrasion resistance

In 2008 Forms + Surfaces designed an environmental management plan with the guidance of the Green Design Institute of Carnegie Mellon, and part of the plan was a focus to develop a zero-waste policy. To this effort, they created an inventory management system that electronically tracks materials, including scrap material, with an RFID and barcode tracking system.

Given signage is generally smaller in size in comparison to the Forms+Surfaces products, the facilities feed scrap material that are tagged with SKU information via bar code to the signage facility. These scraps are scanned into a storage location for future use in signage and other applications. Creating signage from scrap material keeps costs down while utilizing high-end materials and reducing waste. The ultimate Win-Win!

In March 2022, Forms+Surfaces collaborated with a Seattle-based design firm to help identify which of their proprietary materials would be utilized within an NYC office building. After several meetings collaborating and discussing the different attributes of materials for use in signage, the design firm chose the following:

• TENSL HIGH-STRENGTH CONCRETE: The TENSL high-strength concrete was developed for outdoor facades, but is also utilized in outdoor benches and litter receptacles as well. To support this project, when a vat of concrete was mixed for standard production, the remaining portions of the vat were poured as signage, again driving to zero waste. This concrete is a super fine product that picks up the slightest texture of the mold it is cast into, making it a perfect material for a finely designed sign.
• BONDED QUARTZ: Bonded Quartz incorporates ceramic microspheres in a tough, FRP matrix; Castings are lightweight, durable, and easy to clean. Standard colors White and Charcoal – color is integral, not surface applied and are available in numerous sculptural patterns
• FUSED METAL: Forms+Surfaces’ exclusive line of colored stainless steel, is created using vapor deposition technology to fuse titanium alloys at the molecular level to stainless steel substrates. Fused Metal provides the durability of stainless steel in a rich range of colors.
  • Fused White Gold Stainless Steel with Ceramiloc Anti-Fingerprint Coating: The Fused White Gold Stainless Steel with Ceramiloc anti-fingerprint coating is stainless steel with 85%+ recycled content that has been fused through a PVD process with a titanium layer bonded on the molecular level producing a beautiful champagne hue to the stainless material. Drops of this resilient material were utilized on this project to produce the wayfinding and signage.

Cornelius then collaborated and partnered with drive21 to bring together our two strengths – Cornelius’ precision manufacturing utilizing Forms+Surfaces exclusive material combined with drive21’s project management and installation services. The results were stunning and unique signage flawlessly executed and installed in a high-profile location.

Want to create signage and wayfinding that’s not only cost-effective but also good for the environment? Reach out to find out more about the possibilities in store for your next project! When Cornelius and drive21 are brought in early, we’re able to design and build for your budget, while incorporating high-quality materials that bring your vision to life.