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Product Designer
Product Manufacturer Product Description and Principal Function(s) The launch of the Qantas A380 aircraft takes 21st century industrial design to the skies – and to new heights.While the entire aircraft represents a major change in aircraft interior design, special attention was given to the Economy cabin, which consists of 332 seats catering for the majority of Qantas’ long-haul customers. Through intelligent design, the Economy seat stands out as a next generation seat with a number of features introduced to revolutionise the Economy travel experience. Qantas’ A380 commenced commercial flying between Australia and Los Angeles in October 2008, with flights between Australia and London commencing in January 2009. Key Product Features and Benefits The Qantas A380 has the most innovative, functional and intelligent features of any aircraft flying today. With its space, new materials and advanced technology, it has given Qantas the ideal platform to reinvent the airline’s onboard product and inflight experience.Qantas’ aim was to develop a brand-new Economy seat that is not only stylish but also functional and innovative – with the focus firmly on customer comfort, ergonomics and space. It was developed in partnership with renowned German premium automobile seat manufacturer, Recaro, with the vision for the styling led by internationally acclaimed Australian designer Marc Newson, Meticulous detail has gone into every aspect of the design process and fit-out to ensure a style result befitting one of the world’s top tier airlines. Significant customer research was conducted (from ideas generation to prototype testing), along with extensive ergonomic testing to develop and refine the concept. This focus on ergonomics and comfort has borne a number of new features previously not available in Economy Class seats, including: • a single beam seat design that optimises living space, particularly knee and shin room. • a seat base that automatically moves in conjunction with the seat recline giving customers a more ergonomically correct angle in which to relax, along with a cushioned front nose designed to address and aid pressure points on the legs – further enhancing comfort over long periods of time. • seat cushioning that has been custom designed to suit the seat, following rigorous ergonomic testing including pressure mapping and sleep trials. Cushioning has also been designed for side-sleep, to enhance comfort in the positions passengers are most likely to adopt on long-haul flights. • the introduction of an innovative and unique netted “footnet” leg support to optimise comfort even further, particularly in sleep mode where in combination with the enhanced recline and cushioned nose, assisting the posture by eliminating the ‘sliding’ sensation often felt in Economy seats. A number of new business and connectivity features have been included including the introduction of PC power, USB and internet ports, plus in-seat telephone with reply SMS functionality, along with state of the art entertainment system with 10.6” wide-screen monitor, and entertainment programming offering over one thousand on demand audio and video entertainment choices. When it comes to style, Marc Newson’s retro futurist approach and superb vision showcases a very unique aesthetic, with a sculpted carbon fibre backshell to give a visually stunning appearance - representing a Qantas design first. It also brings a unique natural element to the overall appearance, as a material that is not normally exposed, rather used in the aircraft airframe. Spread over three distinct zones, each features fabrics exclusively designed by Marc Newson in a colour representing the Australian landscape – with hues of red, green and terracotta – to break up the space. With Marc Newson having touched nearly every aspect of the A380 interior – from the cabin layout down to the cutlery – this has ensured an overall cohesive design language from nose to tail. |
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Design Award of the Year
