We suspect the reason we write so much about designer furniture in an airport context is simply because of the amount of time we spend in airports.

And consequently the amount of time we spend thinking about and analysing what we are being offered.

If you’re going to be delayed at Frankfurt for five hours. You want to make sure that your seat is comfy.

If you’re going to have to spend the night at Copenhagen Airport. You want to make sure your seat is comfy.

If you’re… you get the idea.

However it’s not just us who are spending ever more time at airports. The past decade has seen a dramatic rise in airline passenger numbers: and ever greater passenger numbers obviously means an ever greater demand for airports and airport infrastructure.

And as with all such architectural projects, the owners and operators want an interior that is as familiar as it is unique.

The biggest and most important trade fair for airport operators is Passenger Terminal Expo, and in addition to companies offering baggage handling and signage solutions, designer furniture producers such as Vitra or USM Haller are also a regular feature of the show.

Passenger Terminal Expo 2012 is being hosted by Vienna Airport, and ahead of the show we spoke to Pascal Berberat, Head of Vitra’s Airport Division, about airport furnishings, their collaboration with Alberto Meda and, most important for us, why seats in airports always have armrests? But started by asking why a globally active company such as Vitra needed a specialised airport division?

Pascal Berberat: The airport business is globally very uniform. Where, for example, the choice of home furnishings is often affected by cultural aspects; airports are very similar and have similar requirements regardless of where they are. And so where Vitra has an international network of agents and specialist dealers for home and office furniture, it makes more sense to have a central airport department. Plus an airport isn’t just departure lounges it is more like a small city, with shops, medical facilities, restaurants etc… so a wide range of zones where furniture is required. And so in that respect Vitra can offer a wide range of solutions and experience in all types of furnishings.

(smow)blog: Staying with departure lounges. What for you are the most important criteria for airport seating?

Pascal Berberat: For me it is about combining the, sometimes conflicting, requirements of the passengers need and right for well being with the airport or the operators need for efficiency.

(smow)blog: In that context. In addition to specifically created products such as the Airline Series from Sir Norman Foster, you also offer various Vitra classics from, for example, Maarten Van Severen as airport seating. Is that necessary? Why not just stick with one, specially created, product?

Pascal Berberat: Nowadays everybody is talking about ecology and sustainability. A topic which has been anchored in Vitra’s processes for decades. However, being actively engaged in sustainability doesn’t just mean using renewable resources, optimizing waste management, designing products with a long life cycle, etc. It is also about offering our clients products with a visual sustainability. We’re all guilty of having once thrown out an object that was still working or had been in good shape. We dumped it because it was out of fashion.
Through working with a variety of designers, in particular with the “old masters” like George Nelson, Jean Prouvé or Charles and Ray Eames we learn what is important to successfully develop products which are not only long lasting but also have a visual sustainability. Considering that 90% of CO2 emissions are generated during the manufacturing process of a product, what is more ecological: using a product for decades or replacing it every 5 years because it’s aesthetics seem to be outdated? Vitra’s history with the old masters combined with the freshness of  contemporary designers and engineers allow us to develop products with the potential to become classics of the future.

(smow)blog: Which leads nicely on to the next question. You recently worked with Alberto Meda on the Meda Gate series? Why Alberto Meda, who is after all best known for his office furniture ?

Pascal Berberat: Alberto Meda has worked on numerous projects with Vitra, and has created successful concepts for us in the past. Alberto Meda is a designer and engineer: which makes him perfect for the specific and particular demands of an airport seat. Thanks to Alberto Meda’s engineering excellence we now have in Meda Gate a product which not only responds to the extraordinary heavy use situation in airports; but also offers superior comfort in an very elegant aesthetic. Plus one has to add that in addition to his technical competence he is a very charismatic person and it is a real joy to work with him!

(smow)blog: To end. You’ve already said what you find important in airport chairs. Now its our turn. One thing that annoys us is armrests on chairs in airports. Why don’t you want to let us sleep?

Pascal Berberat: When people lie on benches at airports, one person takes up a whole bench. And then the airport’s capacity calculations don’t work. I have three seats, but only one user. And so instead we offer recliner elements within the Airline and Meda series for use in areas where airports expect higher numbers of transit passengers….

Vitra Airport Division. Here at Passenger Terminal Expo 2011 in Copenhagen

Meda Gate by Alberto Meda for Vitra

In addition to departure lounges airports also have VIP and Airline Lounges that need to be furnished. For example with Suita by Antonio Citterio.

While critics denounce such as an easy and obvious way to generate content – for us reviewing the past year is an important step in planning our activities for the coming year: where to go, who to talk to, what to sit on and, just as importantly, what to ignore or give up.

The only real problem for us is that in preparing such we realise just how much material we haven’t had the chance to use – and so receive an impression of how much more material we will acquire in the coming year.

Heck!

Reading Table by Uli Budde @ Designers Fair 2010 Cologne

The year started, as ever, with IMM and Designers Fair in Cologne. Aside from the opportunity to roll out a few anti-carnival gags the trip introduced us to some wonderful new products/designers, specifically; Uli Budde, Christian Lessing, Martin Neuhaus, Alexander Gufler, maigrau, Tim Baute etc, etc, etc…

A further highlight was the introduction of Herbert Hirche’s Interbau 57 armchair through Richard Lampert.

Negative was the lack of innovation and – if we’re honest – quality on display at IMM. For Germany’s most important furniture trade fair it just simply wasn’t good enough.

Let’s see what IMM 2011 brings.

In February we were then on much safer ground with the opening of the VitraHaus on the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein and a visit to the MoormannHaus in Aschau in Chiemgau.

Moormann Haus, Aschau in Chiemgau

Aside from the way the VitraHaus majestically appears before you, for us the real joy is the decision to include “non-Vitra” items in the displays – very much in the spirit of Charles and Ray Eames‘ “Collage” principle of interior design.

If we did have one wish for 2011 it would be that rather than only including established designers, that Vitra include one or the other design from a young designer or two in the VitraHaus exhibition space.

VitraHaus is big enough to give young talent a chance.

While the MoormannHaus is every bit as spectacular a piece of architecture as Vitra’s, the real highlight of the trip to Aschau was Berge - the Moormann auberge

Much more than a delightful base for a trip to the Bavarian Alps – Berge is much more a wonderful introduction to the Moormann philosophy.

In March (smow)airport systems premiered their range of USM Haller based airport solutions at the Passenger Terminal Expo 2010 in Brussels. Created in cooperation with USM Haller , (smow) airport systems have developed a range of solutions for both operative, Lounge and Retail areas of airports – solutions that were very well received by the PTE visitors.

The company name and structure may have changed since PTE 2010 but we will be at PTE 2011 in Copenhagen to both follow the development of the project as well as to report on other developments in airport / public area furniture world.

Full house in the (smow)room for the Leipzig Buchmesse readings

Back in Leipzig March is Buchmesse and March 2010 saw the most successful series of readings ever in the (smow)room in Burgplatz.

Ever!

Starting with Grillsaison from Philipp Kohlhöfer and then moving on over “New voices from Switzerland” to “Meine Frau will einen Garten” by Gerhard Matzig the three readings provided three very different if equally enjoyable experiences.

More so in 2011 !

Alberto Meda @ Orgatec 2010

Although he was not showing any new products at Orgatec 2010 Alberto Meda used the show to catch up a little on what other designers were up to.

And when we caught up with Alberto Meda on the Vitra stand we learned something wonderful: Alberto Meda uses the same office chair as the (smow)blog crew…

(smow)blog: Unless we’ve missed something you aren’t showing anything at Orgatec 2010?

Alberto Meda: No, but I am working on a new product with Vitra, but that is not yet ready and so I am just here to see what is happening. Every designer doesn’t know what the other designers are doing and so for me its’s nice to see some new projects.

(smow)blog: One of your better known products is the MedaPal chair, what was the background to the chair, where did the idea come from?

Alberto Meda: The idea was an evolution of the previous chair designs with a different kinematic system within the structure. To keep the price down we decided to go back to more traditional ways of constructing office chairs. Which means we have a mechanical platform onto which you can add the seat and other components. And so we made first the MedaPro and then the MedaPal. The MedaPal is more economic because the seat does not move, but you still have a lot of comfort and the lumber support is very good and I have been using this chair every day for two years…

(smow)blog: .. the MedaPal ?…

Alberto Meda: … yes…

(smow)blog: …we also have a MedaPal. And, are you happy with it?

MedaPal by Alberto Meda for Vitra:

Alberto Meda: [laughs]… very happy. And when people come to me I let them sit in it and let them play with the mechanics and set the forces and the response is always positive.

(smow)blog: And any current projects you can tell us about?

Alberto Meda: I recently made an airport chair with Vitra which I am very happy with called MedaGate…

(smow)blog: … you like the prefix “Meda” …

Alberto Meda: [laughs] … no, no Vitra decide that, it is not my idea. MedaGate was launched at the Passenger Terminal Expo in March, and my next project is with Vitra, but I cannot say anything about that. But it will be a chair.

(smow)blog: Which we’re looking forward to already. Many thanks!

In the past we have often talked about airports, airport design and airport furniture.

And not just because we want to demonstrate how much we travel and how often we are in airports.

But because we find it just as important that high-quality furniture is available in public spaces as in the home or office.

If you think your office furniture is well used – imagine the stress your average airport chair is put under.

From March 23rd until March 25th Europe’s largest airport terminal conference and exhibition will take place at Brussels Airport.

Airline airport seating by Sir Norman Foster for Vitra in Toulouse Blagnac airport

At Passanger Terminal EXPO senior airport planners, managers and designers will discuss in a series of conferences how to improve airports and the airport experience, while in the exhibition area over 150 producers will present their products- as the organisers put it- “from baggage handling and security to passenger check-in and seating solutions”

And, needless to say (smow) has all four areas covered.

Vitra provide a range of elegant public seating solutions from Eames plastic chairs, over designs from Maarten van Severen and on to the dedicated “Airline” range by Sir Norman Foster.

While for all desks and shop solutions – be it check in desks, security or display cabinets – the majestically flexible system USM Haller meets every challenge; and can also be integrated with baggage conveyor belts

And for baggage handling… there’s always the M 4 R from Tecta

More information on USM Haller airport solutions from (smow) can be found at http://airport.smow.com/ and you can read our reports from the 2010 Passenger Terminal EXPO here in the (smow)blog.

Passenger Terminal EXPO 201 with smow and USM Haller

Passenger Terminal Expo is Europe’s largest airport terminal exhibition. And while such is always good to know, why are we at (smow)blog telling you.

.04 bench by Maarten Van Severen from Vitra

Because it is a opportune moment once again demonstrate that designer furniture and furniture by top designers can be found everywhere. Even in an airport – an environment that is normally considered as a design desert. Among the exhibitors at Passenger terminal expo is smow partner Vitra. For over 40 years Vitra have been developing and producing seating for public spaces, including airports. The Vitra range includes benches based on, for example, the .04 by Maarten Van Severen and the Plastic Side Chair series by Charles and Ray Eames. A new addition is the Airport range by Sir Norman Foster.

Foster Airport for Vitra

More famous for designing actual Airports, in 1998 Foster and Vitra joined forces to create a sleek, comfortable seating system for terminal buildings that can be effortlessly installed, uninstalled, extended and reduced as required. The Foster Airport series can be seen, and for all enjoyed, for example, at London Heathrow, Göteborg or Porto airports.
And although specifically designed for airports such benches and seating systems are also ideally suited for all public spaces be it museums, waiting rooms, public offices or wherever short term seating is regularly required. Such benches are not listed on the (smow)homepage, can however be ordered through smow.
And if a whole bench is too much, you can always recreate that unique airport atmosphere at home with a single Vitra chair from smow.com