Outdoor advertising
Pylons and totems
Free-standing pylons and totems that mark an entrance, a forecourt or a site from a distance.
At a glance
- Foundations and installation
- Interchangeable price modules
- Lit over the full height
- Anti-vandal materials
About this solution
A pylon is the sign that stands in front of the building rather than on it: a freestanding vertical structure at the entrance to a shopping centre or an industrial site, or by the road at a filling station. It is read from the road before the driver sees the building, which is why, for a place people drive to, it is often the only advertising that counts. It carries one logo or several — for a building with many tenants the pylon is their directory — and, at filling stations, the price modules.
The skeleton is a welded steel frame, sized for the pylon's height and for wind, clad in composite aluminium, powder-coated sheet or stainless steel. The lit faces are built like lightboxes: diffusing acrylic or tensioned banner with LED modules behind, over the full height or only where there is text. Price modules are separate boxes with interchangeable digits or LED displays, so a price changes without touching the rest of the pylon.
A pylon stands in wind all day and in rain all winter, so what separates it from a poor one does not show in the first month. Water needs a way out of the body, not a way in; the lower part, at the height of a bumper or a snow shovel, needs a material that takes knocks; and the power supplies need to be reachable through an access door, not buried in the structure. The joints between panels are made so they are not seen and do not let water through.
The pylon is anchored in a concrete foundation, poured on site to the size and weight of the structure, with embedded bolts on which its base plate is fixed. The foundation and the electrical supply are part of the job and are settled before production: the position relative to the road and to underground services decides where the pylon can stand at all. It is erected with a crane once the concrete has cured.
Frequently asked questions
All frequently asked questionsPylon or totem — what is the difference?
The same kind of structure at different heights: the pylon is the tall one at the entrance to a shopping centre or a filling station, read from the road; the totem is lower and stands nearer the entrance or the building. The choice depends on how far away it must be seen from and on what it has to say: a single logo, or the list of tenants and the prices.
Who builds the foundation?
We do. The concrete foundation is sized for the pylon's height, weight and wind load, poured on site with the anchor bolts embedded, and the pylon is erected on it once the concrete has cured. The electrical supply is brought in at the same time, under or beside the foundation.
What should I send for a quote?
The location — a photograph or a point on the map — the rough height you have in mind, what has to appear on it (one logo, several, price modules) and whether it is read from one side or two. If there is a design for the site or the facade, so much the better: the pylon is drawn in the same language.
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