UP F RONT
1. WHEN SPACE IS REQUIRED,
CREW CAN MOVE A CABIN WALL TO
CREATE AN EXTRA 40% OF USABLE
SPACE PARTICULARLY USEFUL
FOR WHEELCHAIR USERS
2. WHEN THE PRM FEATURES ARE
NOT REQUIRED, THE ACCESS LAV IS
RETURNED TO ITS STANDARD SIZE
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
040 MARCH 2020
2
PUSHING BOUNDARIES
The Access lavatory tackles one of the biggest issues faced by PRM travellers
on narrow-body aircraft, without requiring any alterations to cabin layouts
An underreported and serious issue in the skies is that carriers are not
required by law to provide an accessible lavatory on board single-aisle
aircraft. According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the UK alone saw
a 47% increase in PRM (passengers with reduced mobility) travel
between 2010 and 2017, making this group a significant
passenger demographic, and an underserved one – indeed
many disabled passengers dehydrate themselves before
flying to avoid having to use the bathroom, while some
just avoid flying altogether due to the potential
discomfort. A solution could be Access, a lavatory design
created by ST Engineering for retrofit or line-fit that
would enable airlines to easily fit a PRM-accessible lav
in their narrow-body fleets, with no operational drawbacks
– a particular benefit for long-range narrow-bodies.
Access was created in partnership with the Acumen design agency,
and is a direct replacement for the standard E-lavatory at the aft door,
fitting in the same footprint so there is no reduction in galley space
or seating. The clever part is
a moving wall which, when
deployed by a crew member
using a simple latch
mechanism, extends to offer
PRMs a claimed 40% more
usable space, sufficient to
accommodate a wheelchair
– and a carer if needed. The
design also means that
passengers do not have to be
transferred behind a curtain,
increasing their feeling of
privacy and indeed dignity.
As well as offering greater
space to manoeuvre, the
lavatory also has several
functional design features to
improve the usability of the
space for PRMs, including
vertical, horizontal and folddown
grab bars to make both
assisted and unassisted
transfer as easy and quick as
possible, and a lowered sink
height to enable use from a
seated position. All passengers
benefit from the feature
lighting; large vanity and fulllength
mirrors, as well as a
side-shelf for personal items;
anti-slip flooring; and hygiene
technologies such as antimicrobial
surface finishes.
Access also features a secondary
door, which can be opened at an angle
to create a 24in-wide entranceway to
Visit aircraftinteriorsinternational.com to see a video showing how the Access concept works
accommodate an aisle chair.
Detailed research was
undertaken during the
conceptualisation and
design process for
Access, with PRMs
attending a series of
product testing sessions
to provide feedback
and help shape the final
interior design.
One participant was Mary Doyle,
founder of Rocket Girl Coaching, and
a consultant in the field of accessible
aviation. “As an independent manual
wheelchair user for many years, I’ve
experienced the good and bad of aircraft
lavatories. I have regularly flown both
long and short-haul for over 25 years and
believe there are four main things which
can improve the on-board experience:
more space, highly sanitised work
surfaces, greatly improved physical
supports for unassisted transfer, and
anti-slip flooring. And whilst lavatories
serve a functional need, I believe they
should look beautiful too, in keeping
with excellent customer experience.”
Design for all
Access is
designed to meet
US DoT accessibility
rulings with no
reduction in seat
count
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