Designer Jet interiors for the rich and famous
from Aero Gizmo (452 articles)
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Image Gallery ( 6 images )March 23, 2006 If no two people are the same, then neither are two billionaires. So why is it that most VIP Interiors tend to favour a traditional concept, layout and style? This is fine if you’re a J.D. Rockefeller, (all leather chesterfields and walnut burr), but what if you’re a Versace or a Branson or even an Oprah?? Great wealth affords customers the opportunity to indulge themselves, to define an identity and style across a range of living environments from castles to Palazzos and megayachts. So why not VIP aircraft??
During the summer of 2005 Design Q, a design consultancy based in the heart of England, were approached by Jan Nieberle, a Design Engineer in VIP Jet Maintenance at Lufthansa Technik who is also the architect of Project U, (Lufthansa Technik’s VIP Interior Concept Programme). He had a request that they design and implement a VIP interior for an Airbus A319 but it must reflect the distinct personality and taste of his client; a ‘Power’ couple, both in their thirties with a youthful and stylish outlook but very family-conscious, whose security, privacy and comfort had caused them to reassess the way they travelled as a family.
For Design Q, this project was about translating the needs and style of high net-worth customers from an initial discussion and briefing into an interior beyond the realms of what is currently available, an ambition they shared with Lufthansa Technik. Together, they knew it would be possible to tailor the interior to every need, desire and taste while importantly, maintaining full certification.
The Design Process
The initial part of any project such as this necessitates establishing a rapport between the client and the design team; a task not always made easy by the demanding schedules of a multi-nationally known couple! Therefore it is the designer’s job to know what a client wants without actually asking that very question. Design Q has a long history of working on high status projects directly for the end customer and it is this experience that made their contribution invaluable.
Design Q’s answer to understanding the perspective of someone who lives life very much above the stratosphere of most people involves what they term a ‘Personality Map’, in other words, the use of imagery to depict the activities, perceptions and aspirations of the customer. Using the Personality Map a designer is able to identify with a client’s requirements and use inspirational images to influence the style direction for the aircraft. Having established these boundaries, the design brief was set and it was time to start the creative process – in this case using traditional methods of sketching. Whilst Design Q are exponents of digital technology, they have found that many customers like to see sketches, and it is still the fastest way of expressing new ideas. As Gary Doy, director of Design Q says, ‘clients can have an emotional reaction to sketches; it injects a sense of craft into the process’. Various architectural layouts based on the Airbus A319 were explored in parallel to ideation sketches suggesting appropriate volumes and form language. The two were then able to come together at the necessary points in the programme in order to maintain a smooth transition from concept to reality. The drawings were invaluable in portraying a quick empathy for interior theme, which all involved could connect with.
As the designs evolved a more detailed LOPA was defined allowing the team to evaluate the architectural layout in more detail. This LOPA was then used as the foundation for the 3D electronic styling model. Design Q worked with Lufthansa Tecknik’s visualisation team, ACA, constructing the interior components and outputting final visuals for concept approval by the client. This is an extremely effective way of both showing the client how their interior could look whilst providing the engineering team with valuable ‘A’ surface data to back up the schemes. Design Q have a particular expertise in this area using the latest technology from the Automotive industry to define accurate high quality surfaces exportable directly in to Catia with photorealistic rendering capabilities.
The Design Philosophy
Feedback from the ‘personality map’ showed the interior had to fit in with all three key lifestyles (work, rest & play). The result? A contemporary interior enhanced by an exciting and completely versatile living space. Let us walk you through it…..
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