Wayfinding strategy for a new kind of industrial site
This is a big site. A huge site. A public recycling and energy centre at the scale of a power station. But at its heart, the new Edmonton EcoPark is also a place for people. That’s where our work comes in.
Edmonton EcoPark was delivered by the North London Waste Authority as part of a £1.2 billion investment in sustainable waste infrastructure for seven London boroughs. It’s bold in both ambition and scale—an industrial landscape reimagined as a clean, green civic space. Grimshaw Architects were leading the design and delivery, and Humanics Collective was working alongside them to develop a wayfinding system that supports this new public role without losing sight of the site’s operational complexity.
Project
NLWA – Edmonton EcoPark
Client
North London Waste Authority
Collaborators
Grimshaw Architects
Location
Size
Project Build Cost
Focus
The scale of the site demanded bold graphic gestures—high-contrast elements, oversized signs, and architectural-scale markers. But clarity isn’t the only goal here. This is a project that needed to feel safe, easy to navigate, and unexpectedly human.
The EcoPark includes facilities for public drop-off, staff-only technical zones, educational tours, and large vehicle operations—all in a working site that continues to operate during construction. Wayfinding strategy plays a critical role in enabling that complexity, helping keep people safe while supporting intuitive flows, site legibility, and a sense of openness.
We worked closely with Grimshaw to embed information seamlessly into the built environment. In places, that means signs at scale. In others, it means using architectural gestures and environmental cues to help people feel confident about where they’re going, and why. The result is a wayfinding system that balances utility and dignity—designed to support one of the most ambitious sustainability projects in Europe.
The complex opens mid 2025 - more photos will follow!
