The New Passenger Experience

A blog post by HNTB
 

The passenger experience has become an increasingly important part of the airport design conversation in recent years. Architects are shifting away from non-descript, bland spaces and moving toward designs that create pleasurable experiences and meaningful connections with passengers.

The security line is one of the biggest hurdles to the passenger experience. Time-related stresses, confusing instructions and poor wayfinding can produce a significant amount of anxiety.

Minimizing stress in the security line can be achieved through the incorporation of sound absorbent materials to dampen the noise, or by better disseminating information to enable decision making. Technology also plays a vital role, as sensors in security areas can track wait times, which are then communicated to passengers as they enter the airport.

Following security, designers can reset the passenger experience by offering a comfortable environment in the “redress” area. The result is an immediate and perceptible shift in mindset as passengers are greeted by a variety of restaurants, bars and shops, enabling them to relax. This calming, comfortable space provides similar benefits to those workers who spend the entire day at the airport.

The airport’s layout plays its own role in the passenger experience. Ideally, the building itself should orient the passenger. There are a variety of subliminal ways to accomplish this goal. Properly placed daylighting, colors, textures and artwork can serve as subconscious cues that instruct passengers on which way to go. Even a ceiling tile pattern can serve as a navigational guide and subconsciously move passengers in a certain direction.
 

A Memorable, Inviting Space

Many airports are seeking to provide a sense of place, whereby the region’s culture and people are represented through architectural form, colors, textures and locally produced artwork. Restaurants offering local cuisine and pubs providing locally produced drinks create an airport that is unique to the location. Ideally, an airport should be uniquely tied to the surroundings, site and community in such a way that it would not work anywhere else.

Designers also are creating spaces that are more comfortable through residential-style furnishings and welcoming interior designs.

The ample use of natural daylighting is equally critical. Areas that traditionally were poorly or artificially lit are now being re-designed to include an abundance of natural light. Baggage claim areas, for example, are no longer industrial-looking spaces, but are now brighter and more open due to the incorporation of daylighting and higher ceilings.

The most successful passenger experience designs have one thing in common — a high degree of engagement from airport clients. That will produce immeasurable benefits as it enables architects to fully realize the vision while ensuring budgetary targets are met.

From relaxing lighting and acoustics to reduce stress among the chaos of travel, to the texture of a table bringing an airline brand into a sense of touch at that most intimate of scales, our job as architects and designers is to find creative ways to transform the typical into the extraordinary.

David Lopez Tome, AIA, ARB, COAM, is HNTB’s architecture national practice leader.