Merit Award
Van Nuys Flyaway
Location
Van Nuys, CA
Client
Los Angeles World Airports
Design
Sussman/Prejza & Company
Design Team
Paul Prejza (principal in charge), Miles Mazzie (project manager), Hillary Jaye, Hsin-Hsien Tsai
Fabrication
Ampersand Contract Signing Group
Consultants
DMJMH+N Architects
Photos
Jim Simmons
The Van Nuys Flyaway is part of the Los Angeles World Airports' system of regional satellite depots that service Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) via a park-and-ride system from the San Fernando Valley. Newly renovated and expanded, it functions as a remote airport terminal with flight and baggage check-in services. It eliminates an estimated 2,000-plus cars from the Los Angeles County roads and freeways each day, helping to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.
Sussman/Prejza & Company designed a new Flyaway identity and logo that became the starting point for work on the facility's wayfinding and bus graphics. Designed to look and feel like an extension of a modern airport, the identity and signage program reflect the long, thin architectural elements of the airport through dramatic lines, minimal details, and textured metallic finishes.
Bright blue transit buses—the heart of the system—are attractive and visible at busy LAX, create a clear connection to the World Airports system, and help identify the Flyaway terminal. The unique blue distinguishes them from other high-occupancy vehicles on the roadways and serves as a moving advertisement for the Flyaway's services.
Jury Comment
"The environmental graphics are so effective that they transform what could so easily have been a municipal experience into an energetic and refreshing solution to park-and-ride. The branding extends dramatically across all elements and goes even further, claiming the pillars with wraparound fixings, playing with angles, and even allowing lettering to jut provocatively out of fascias. It is strong, bold, and uses color cleverly. Even just looking through the images, you felt that the solution really was keeping people on the move. A total solution, it's an example of seamless design that really works."