What are the visual communication requirements of a built environment?

This paper explores an aspect of the Built Environment that is part of our everyday lives, yet often goes unnoticed. It is something that is not far away from any vista. It often appears frivolous, and yet can be a matter of life or death. It is very much a part of how people interact with environments on a local, intermediate and global scale — interaction that requires highly sophisticated, and at times, quite basic design solutions. It is a subject rooted in communication, yet is subjected to the everyday forces faced by the established Built Environment professions. In short Visual Communication in the Built Environment is a complex subject, and attempts to understand it, and about why and how it happens, are fragmented.