design et al are delighted to announce that Acumen Design Associates & VT Volant have been shortlisted for the Cabin Design – Concept Award in The International Yacht & Aviation Awards 2019.
Every customer-facing touch point on the aircraft has an effect on the passenger’s impression of the airline and the bathroom is no exception. Passengers benchmark their experiences against the hospitality industry where bathrooms are a signature part of the interior. Unfortunately, on some legacy aircraft these environments can fall short of the mark.
Newer aircraft types like the A350 and B787 have received the benefit of contemporary design treatment for their baseline lavatories. In contrast, Acumen Design Associates believe that the legacy B777 bathroom – which is now 25 years old – fails to meet passenger expectations. The differences are fundamental to the design and difficult to address by changing surface finishes – creating an inconsistent passenger experience for airlines with mixed fleets.
With many B777 aircraft due for maintenance improvements, the brief was to overhaul the legacy bathroom design and create a fresh, modern interior which can be cost-effectively fitted during routine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations. ARC replaces all customer facing surfaces and touch-points to create a completely new passenger experience – and achieves this with minimum impact to the operator. All essential B777 lavatory hardware and systems (vacuum-waste system, water heater, baseline electrical installation, and both fresh and waste water plumbing) require only minor adjustments to complete the installation.
By developing a stylish modification system that does not require the removal of the existing lavatory and is able to improve hygiene and the perception of space for passengers of all classes, the ARC interior gives the B777 bathroom a second life-cycle.
ARC is designed to create serenity and wellbeing in a small, functional space. Addressing all of the key requirements of a breakthrough product, the upgrade kit transforms the legacy bathroom interior into a contemporary welcoming space, equipped with modern hygienic technologies and is customisable for premium cabins. Importantly for the airline it does this in a way that is cost effective to buy, simple to install and replace, and easy to maintain.