Victorian School Building Authority capital works signage

Capital works signs provide information about major public works

A Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) capital works sign must be erected for all new budget-sector capital works with government funding of $250,000 or greater. 

Capital works signs provide information to the Victorian community about public works. The signs measure 1000 mm H x 2000 mm L. They are aluminium with digitally printed faces.

We developed these guidelines to:

  • ensure that the Victorian public is appropriately informed about the purpose, costs and benefits of new government-funded, budget-sector capital works projects
  • provide direction on project signage
  • ensure consistent design and structure of capital works signs.

Sign placement

When

Capital works signs must be displayed as early as possible once construction starts. They must be removed within 3 weeks of the end of works by the party responsible for erecting it (e.g. the builder). 

Where

Signs should be placed where they are most visible to the public, and on the same campus as construction works.

Where the site has more than one entry point, more than one sign may be displayed. This may require a planning permit. 

Planning requirements

Under clause 52.05 of the Victoria Planning Provisions, signs greater than two square metres may require a planning permit. This does not affect VSBA capital works signage as this sign is two square metres.

Signs must not be placed on or over a road or a road reserve.

Occupational Health and Safety compliance

All signs on the work site (including contractor and construction company signs) must comply with Occupational Health and Safety requirements. The specifications on this page are a guide to the minimum standard required.

Fabrication

The VSBA capital works sign must be 1000 mm H x 2000 mm L.

The sign face should be a 3 mm aluminium composite panel with a digitally printed self-adhesive vinyl face. The top of the sign should be 1900 mm from the ground.

The sign should be free-standing where possible but may be wall mounted where there is not enough room.

See the image below for information on elevation. 

Where projects take less than a year to complete, the capital works sign may be erected with wooden legs and stay fixed to the ground. Concrete footings are not required. Wooden posts must be gloss black. Use 70 mm x 35 mm wooden pine painted legs and stays.

Where a project runs for a year or more, powder-coated aluminium frames and concrete footings are required. Powder-coated aluminium frames should be finished in Dulux® Duralloy® Black Gloss 9090G or equivalent. Use 50 mm aluminium square hollow section (S.H.S) frame with concrete footings.

Detailed diagram

A detailed diagram of the capital works signage

  • Download' A detailed diagram of the capital works signage'

Templates

Working in the template

The VSBA capital works signage template must be opened in Adobe InDesign®.

The template provided contains all the necessary fonts, colours and text fields. Sign writers can populate the template with the text provided, but the template must not be recreated, resized or otherwise varied.

Instructions for layout are contained in the slug of the Adobe InDesign® file.

Text fields

The text must fit in the template’s text boxes. Text in the square brackets should be edited as appropriate to the project. 

Confirm the text with your VSBA contact prior to the sign being fabricated.

Headline provides an overview of the project:

'We are [upgrading/building] [name of school/centre/kindergarten]'

  • '...building...' should be used where we are delivering a new project.
  • '...upgrading...' should be used where we are improving an existing facility. 

Project is the title of the project. This should align with the wording of the project on this website. 

Contribution specifies the Victorian Government’s financial contribution. This should align with the funding listed on this website. 

Information directs readers to this website for more information about the project.

Authorisation tag is required under the Electoral Act 2002:
Authorised by the Victorian School Building Authority, 33 St Andrews Place, East Melbourne. Printed by [printer name], [place of business]. 
The printer must fill in their information as required in the square brackets.

Co-branded projects

Significant financial support – contributions over 10%

An organisation that has provided significant financial support (10% or more of the project cost) towards the capital works project is entitled to display its logo on the top right-hand side of the sign. 

The logo should be monotone and at a height no taller than the VSBA and Victorian Government logos. This may be in addition to inclusion in the ‘In partnership with’ section.

If the ‘In partnership with’ section is not needed, it should be deleted. 

In partnership - contributions under 10%

Partners contributing less than 10% of the project value can be recognised in the ‘In partnership with’ section in text format only.

Projects under $250,000

Capital works signage is not required for projects under $250,000.

If a sign is erected to acknowledge the government's contribution to a project under $250,000, the guidelines on this page don't need to be followed.

However, any use of Victorian Government branding should comply with the Brand Victoria Guidelines.

Updated