Key Things to Know
- The New Mexico State Capitol, known as the Roundhouse, adopted NoviSign’s cloud-based digital signage platform to modernize wayfinding across four floors.
- Sharp facilitated the sale and coordinated the deployment, while NoviSign delivered an out-of-the-box system that Capitol staff can update on their own.
- The deployment centers on touchscreen kiosks at the main entrances and digital directories on six floors, all managed through a single cloud platform.
- The system maps more than 200 endpoints for turn-by-turn wayfinding and showcases a rotating art collection spanning more than 600 local artists.
- The digital platform replaces printed signage that required specialty paper stock and carried high recurring reprinting costs.
What Problem Did the Roundhouse’s Design Create?
The Roundhouse’s circular architecture created a persistent wayfinding challenge because the building has no clear front or back. As the only circular state capitol in the country, the New Mexico State Capitol treats that distinctive design as a point of civic pride. Still, the layout left visitors, staff and lawmakers struggling to navigate between offices, chambers, galleries and public spaces across four floors.
That difficulty shaped the entire project. Any solution had to help people orient themselves quickly in a space that offers few natural reference points, a demand that pointed toward interactive, map-based guidance rather than static signs.
Who Partnered on the Deployment?
Sharp and NoviSign partnered to replace the Capitol’s aging printed directory system with a self-managed digital wayfinding solution. Sharp, the Capitol’s technology partner, facilitated the sale and coordinated the deployment on-site. NoviSign, the digital signage software provider, delivered a professionally designed, out-of-the-box experience built for Capitol staff to run themselves.
What Does the Deployment Include?
The deployment includes touchscreen wayfinding kiosks at the building’s main entrances and digital directories on six floors, all managed through a single cloud platform. From one home screen, visitors can search a complete building directory, follow turn-by-turn routes across more than 200 mapped endpoints, explore the history and layout of the Capitol and browse a rotating art collection featuring more than 600 local artists.
That single-platform approach keeps management simple across a large footprint. Centralizing every kiosk and directory under one cloud interface means updates and content changes flow to every display from the same place, which reduces the operational overhead of running signage across multiple floors.
How Does the System Handle More Than 200 Mapped Endpoints?
The system handles more than 200 mapped endpoints through turn-by-turn wayfinding routes accessible from each kiosk’s home screen. Visitors search for a destination and receive directions that guide them through the circular layout, addressing the exact problem the building’s design has long posed.
The scale of the mapping speaks to the complexity of the venue. Covering offices, chambers, galleries and public spaces across four floors required a directory deep enough to account for the full range of destinations a visitor, lawmaker or staff member might need to reach.
Why Move Away From Printed Signage?
The Capitol moved away from printed signage because it required specialty paper stock and carried high recurring costs. Every room change, event update or office move meant reprinting and physically reinstalling signs, a cycle that added expense and delay each time the building’s needs shifted.
The digital platform removes that burden. With NoviSign, Capitol staff now log in and apply updates themselves in seconds, without contacting Sharp, NoviSign or outside IT support. For an active government building where room assignments and events change often, that self-service control turns a recurring cost center into a routine task.
What Does NoviSign Say About the Project?
NoviSign says the project was a way to solve a navigation problem while respecting the building’s identity. Gil Matzliah, CEO of NoviSign, points to both the pride and the practical difficulty tied to the Roundhouse’s shape.
“We’re proud to help modernize one of the country’s most distinctive government buildings,” Matzliah says. “The Roundhouse’s circular design is a source of civic pride, but it’s also a real wayfinding challenge. NoviSign gives Capitol staff a professionally designed system they can manage themselves, so visitors always know where they’re going.”
How Does the Platform Support Future Growth?
The platform supports future growth by giving the Capitol a scalable cloud system that can add displays and use cases from a single management interface. As the building continues to welcome visitors, lawmakers and staff, staff can expand the deployment without rebuilding it from scratch.
That flexibility carries a clear lesson for integrators. A centralized, self-managed platform lets a client grow the system on its own terms, whether that means more directories, new content or additional functions, all handled through the same interface that runs the current installation.
