It's What's on the Inside!

It's What's on the Inside!

Imaginary surfaces, non-movement areas, BRLs, BLTs* and OFAs - they all sound exotic and almost magical, right? Important as they are, though, esoteric airport planning standards remain invisible to passengers. A BRL (building restriction line) may be critical during terminal placement, but it doesn't affect John and Jane Traveler's sense of well-being as they head to their gate. 

For passengers, the quality of a terminal or concourse is far more tangible. Travelers continue to live their lives when passing through airports - they eat, drink, love, weep and rejoice. Invisible, intangible forces such as design quality, trends, consultant experience and budget affect passengers far more palpably than arrival curves, OFAs (object-free areas) and other planning standards. 

But while the passenger experience is central, it is not the only key design consideration. Long-term maintenance and replacement costs frequently dwarf initial construction and installation costs and should also be taken into account during planning.

How can these considerations be implemented to create the best interior environment for your airport and passengers? Progressive airports are developing customized Interior Design Standards to help assure baseline quality. Such standards are especially important with relatively few airport interior specialists available to carry forward lessons learned - how to minimize wear and tear on carpet and wall surfaces, for instance. Airports also often engage on-call engineers or local design firms with minimal airport interiors experience to assist with projects. And although airports periodically embark on major initiatives or all-encompassing renovations, they more often implement smaller, incremental projects over time, based on changing needs, growth and available funding. This often results in projects being executed by different design firms. Interior Design Standards not only augment the experience of selected firms and set baseline quality levels for materials and detailing; they also facilitate a consistent approach and help deliver more cohesive results.

Interior Design Standards typically include a summary of existing facilities and overall airport goals; general guidance for where and how certain materials and finishes should or can be used; a list of materials that are unacceptable in certain applications (unprotected gypsum board below a certain height in public areas, for instance); basic detailing considerations, such as maximum tile joint widths and specification suggestions to minimize chipping and noise; and review procedures for both airport and tenant projects. The document also typically includes an appendix documenting specific materials, elements and colors utilized in the facility. This helps future designers maintain their use unless there is a compelling reason for change. Another optional, but very helpful, component is a color palette reference that indicates overall color ranges and proportions to be used in various elements and areas. Interior Design Standards can also contain conceptual images of specific terminal areas for future reference. Such images do not represent refined designs to be implemented verbatim; they reflect an airport's conceptual goals for its interior environment. Results-oriented professionals view Interior Design Standards as a starting point for creative inspiration rather than a static, proscriptive document.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is currently developing Interior Design Standards for Terminal 4 and related concourses. With several significant improvement projects potentially looming in the future, airport officials felt formalized standards would help.

Lori Buchanan, architect for the city of Phoenix Aviation Department, describes their value: "We are constantly updating and upgrading our business processes and facilities. Terminal Design Standards provide us with a clear and cohesive framework for aesthetics, quality and organization to guide our future improvements. Through the standards, we are able to provide a roadmap and reference guide to our interior design professionals and can ensure an overall cohesive, coordinated design result that is compatible with the aesthetic intent of the terminal."

When reflecting upon upcoming projects and needs at your airport, remember: What's on the inside matters! Interior Design Standards prepared by a firm that specializes in airport interiors can help establish and maintain an atmosphere that enhances the passenger experience, improves the appearance of the interior environment and controls costs.

* Just checking; that's really just a favorite sandwich. : )