The concept of deviating from the prescriptive ‘Deemed-to-Satisfy’ provisions for exit signs in commercial buildings is not new.

Two relevant examples come to mind, the first is Southern Cross Railway Station in Melbourne. When the station was redeveloped and reopened in 2006 the typical safety green ‘EXIT’ signs were replaced with blue ‘EXIT’ signs. One can only assume this was to match the colour scheme throughout the station.

The second example is within parts of Federation Square in Melbourne. These areas have a modified version of the ‘Running Man’ that is clearly different from the accepted design referenced within AS 2293.1, which is adopted in the current version of the building code.