Jet set style

by ArabianBusiness.com staff writer on Thursday, 01 February 2007

Designing for the private jet market is an interesting and complex mix of both transportation design and interior design. The architectural space is inherently tubular and requires the designer to approach the interior in a completely different way to designing other commercial projects.

While issues of safety are uppermost in the designer's mind, the same intrinsic concerns at creating innovative, aesthetically-pleasing environments still exist. Evidence that high design has entered an arena once dominated solely by functionality, lies in the recent announcement that bespoke fashion house, Versace, has united with TAG Group, parent company of TAG Aviation, to offer an exclusive interior design service to the owners of private aircrafts.

"The trend is to create modern, comfortable and international interiors with a high level of elegance and lifestyle," elaborates Reiner Heim, director of aircraft interior design firm Reiner Heim. "The use of high-end technology for the cabin systems and high quality materials for the outfitting are constantly being demanded." That's not to say that minimalism is out, and only daring materials and colours are consistently being ordered. What dictates the style is more related to the background and nationality of the client, as well as the intended usage.

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Gary Doy, director at UK-based transportation designers, Design Q has worked on both traditional and contemporary interiors over the past few years. "With some customers we have defined some very ornate and lavish details with expensive materials like gold and precious stones. Other customers have opted for a more contemporary look reflecting the current trends in contemporary interior design and furniture," he says.

Caron Gledhill, Elite Jets, further believes that regional considerations play a big part, particularly in the Middle East. "If the plane is solely to be used by one family then they may opt for highly personalised gold and flamboyant interiors, but if it's to be chartered, then it needs to appeal to a much wider audience," she adds. Gledhill compares the process to decorating a new house, with clients being shown colour charts, a choice of woods, leather, panelling, inlays, metal accents (e.g. latches and door handles) and accessories. The difference, of course, being that the latter ultimately involves a much smaller space.

"The selection of materials and surface finishes needs to take the smaller space into account and the customer starts to reference the interior a little closer to a luxury car," explains Doy. "The fit, finish, and craftsmanship, is now under more scrutiny at close range and we design the interior surfaces to reflect automotive best practice by using more complex forms and panel offsets."

Spatial limitations mean clever designing is a must. Design Q uses visual tricks to make the interior appear larger, and to sometimes disguise the tubular nature and proportions of the space. Doy also believes that implementing a consistent design philosophy throughout the aircraft avoids the interior looking disjointed and means customers feel more comfortable moving between fairly confined spaces.

With state cabins, corporate jets and private planes in his portfolio, Jan Nieberle, design engineer for Lufthansa Technik, agrees that space is a major challenge. "We are restricted into one direction with the cabin tube, which is different to a house or a yacht, where you can go up and down, left and right as far as you like." He believes that the major focus in designing a living experience in the tube should be on what makes you feel "good and free", advocating the use of Sky View Projection Windows to add space to the tube through a new view dimension.

Space apart, the other key requirement for the hectic modern day executive is being able to use the plane as an extension of the office. "The current trend has mostly to do with the ability to duplicate the customer's office in the airplane with all of the connectivity and entertainment options they require," points out Mike Turner, senior manager, public relations, Raytheon.

Helle Brodsgaard, marketing manager, ExecuJet agrees. "There is definitely a trend towards ergonomically designed functional interiors that offer the utmost in comfort as well as the high tech features an executive has at his finger tips in his office on the ground." For example, the Learjet 60 XR business jet's newly styled interior builds upon a stand-up cabin already well known for its superior comfort, wide aisle and generous seated head and shoulder room. Passenger space for up to nine is enhanced with redesigned seats that improve legroom, while a larger galley and vanity cabinet offer optimised work areas and additional storage space.

For larger business jets, the recent trend is leaning towards creating one-of-a-kind interior designs. The Bombardier series, for example, features ten unique aircraft interiors inspired by ten of the world's most intriguing cities, namely Manhattan, Chicago, Montreal, Stockholm, Belize, Cannes, Cape Town, Venice, Rio and Casablanca.

Colours, fabrics, textures and the overall design embody distinctive characteristics from each feature city. Cultural identity, famous landmarks, climate, historical relevance and modern architecture are just some of the references the designers use to create these original interiors and ensure they remain as distinctive from one another as the cities they imitate.

While the clients for corporate aircraft are getting younger, there is an increasing demand for contemporary design. In terms of decor, Nieberle sees design moving towards open plan and monochromatic schemes. But, as he himself concludes, the most important trend for interior design overall is the idea that "design was yesterday and experience is what it is all about now".

A good environment speaks to all the human senses and this makes it more sophisticated."

Safety

Weight and space restrictions combined with civil aviation FAA/EASA safety regulations mean that a strict set of guidelines must be adhered to when designing. “We put safety above all other factors when designing an aircraft interior. But we also need to consider practical things such as accessibility for maintenance work, evacuation requirements, smoke emission, use of special non-flammable and light-weight materials (so-called “honeycomb” material) and the crash behaviour of materials and assemblies,” highlights Evelyne Gordon, PR manager, Jet Aviation. Brodsgaard of ExecuJet, further explains how business jet interiors are built using high-tech lightweight materials such as carbon and special composites. Wood surfaces, with the exception of mouldings are comprised of 1.2mm thick panels applied honeycomb surfaces. All fabrics, leathers and carpets used in the interior of the aircraft are treated with special flame retardants such as salt bath or latex backing. In addition, special flame resistant foam is used in the upholstery of the seats, divans and various panels.

Another critical factor in interior design is passenger safety, where the interior must not cause danger to passengers during a normal flight or in the case of an emergency. According to Brodsgaard all interior components, depending on the aircraft type, must meet either a 16G (16 times the earth’s gravity force) dynamic test requirement or 9G, whereby parts hold together without breaking away from the main airframe. “As the aircraft structure dimensionally changes in flight we have to consider how to account for this with the interior panels so no gaps are seen,” Design Q’s Doy further explains. “Even if certain items, like standard lamps, are designed to look freestanding they must be securely bolted in place to avoid movement during take off and landing or in flight. There is a great deal of technical equipment that needs to be integrated in the interior and we have to design furniture to accommodate this as well as providing storage.” Turner, Raytheon, adds that civil aviation guidelines provide for very specific requirements on the materials that can be used. “Even items such as DVD and entertainment systems must be certified for aircrafts. You can’t just go down to the local electronics store and purchase a CD player for installation,” he adds.

Certification testing is very expensive and time consuming. The designer and client must consider this important aspect when discussing original designs or customisation.

Case Study

Design Q joined with Lufthansa Technik to design a VIP interior for an Airbus A319 reflecting the distinctive personality and taste of the client. In this case, the ‘power’ couple were both in their thirties with a youthful and stylish outlook. They were also very family-conscious, and issues of security, privacy and comfort had caused them to reassess the way they travelled as a family.

Design Q used a Personality Map to identify the client’s requirements. As the designs evolved, a more specific interior was defined, allowing the team to evaluate the architectural layout in more detail. The entrance leads into the open-plan living area with lounger-style seating offering different configurations for use, based on the Barcelona Chair’s iconic simplistic lines. Opposite a huge projection screen takes up one side of the cabin wall. On the left of the entrance is a bar, while a central island holding drinks, glasses and communications technology reaches from floor to ceiling. Panels on the upper cabin walls house the ambient lighting which can be controlled using the latest cabin environment technology. The walls also hold interchangeable floating panels where artwork can be displayed, a customisation allowing for easy updates as and when required.

The only isolated area of the aircraft is the unique ‘snug’ with cushioned walls and another large projection system, offering games, films, TV and internet access. This space also provides sleeping quarters. Opposite the snug sit three Barcelona chairs, providing separate meeting space for more formal activities. Any client of this financial worth and importance would accrue an entourage of some sort, requiring take off and landing seating, dining and work space with the possibility of sleeping on long or overnight flights. Therefore, Design Q proposed a more unique and social environment far better than the standard seats usually adopted in this area of a VIP aircraft. The timeframe from initial project briefing to the presentation of 3D visuals was under seven weeks

“The trend is to create modern, comfortable and international interiors with a high level of elegance and lifestyle” - Reiner Heim

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