FURNITURE DESIGN FOR AIRPORT WAITING AREAS AS THE BASIS OF THE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE

Abstract

The modern trend in arranging the interiors of airport terminals is a passenger- centric approach, when the key requirement is the formation of a positive experience for travelers. In the context of this trend, the most important areas of the terminal for the designer are the departure waiting rooms after passing control – it is here that it is possible to create for passengers a feeling of «place», stop the intrusive traffic, an anti-stress environment in which the desired experience will be formed. Seating furniture plays a key role in creating the passenger experience in the waiting area. Purpose is to reveal the possibilities of furniture design for seating areas of airport waiting areas as a basis for creating a passenger experience. Methodology. The study was conducted on the basis of a comparative analysis of the interiors of international airport terminals, products of leading companies, manufacturers of furniture for the public environment, experience of designers and users. Results. Along with today’s classic rectilinear configuration of seats on a beam, the following options are available: the formation of cells with a different number of seats with the optional addition of table tops, which allow you to connect the seats in a harmonious composition; modular benches, both rectilinear and curvilinear in plan, assembled into various geometric compositions; the use of upholstered furniture, including from the catalogs of well-known manufacturers of furniture for living space. The general trend is to soften the forms and directions of the location, which brings the artificial environment of the terminal closer to natural forms. The quintessence of this trend is the biophilic direction – modules made of bent plywood lamellas assembled on a curved beam. For any design of furniture for waiting, it is necessary to comply with the requirements of ergonomics: the furniture must provide the correct support for the body and the possibility of changing the posture, include integrated functions. The design of the seats themselves and the logic of their spatial arrangement influence the organization of the space in the waiting room and form various scenarios of social communication for a comfortable stay of passengers with maximum use of space. Scientific novelty. For the first time, the directions of furniture design for seating in waiting areas as factors in the formation of the passenger experience are considered in detail. Practical relevance. The specified conditions for the creation of functional and aesthetically attractive furniture for seating in waiting areas are summarized in recommendations for designers on the development of their design.