JPA D ESIGN
for refuelling so it can do very long-haul
journeys as well create a far bigger
marketplace for its aircraft.
“It flies about twice the height of a
conventional jet, so the experience looking
out of the windows is very different,”
says Orson. “I went over to Boom’s
headquarters in Denver the other day
and via its VR set-up got to experience
what passengers will see, including the
curvature of the earth, the dark sky
above and the moon and the clouds
racing below.”
“Our challenge became clear: how do
we as designers create an environment
that draws these new experiences out
and makes them more exciting to engage
with? One idea we’ve had so far is a regular
window surrounded by an OLED panel
that gives this huge panoramic view on
which you can overlay data to make the
experience even more interesting,”
explains Orson.
While Boom is perfectly capable of
having commercial conversations with
potential airlines, Park believes some of
JPA’s value comes in its wide-ranging
expertise in creating different passenger
experiences and the relationships built
over decades with the airlines who
want them.
“We’re one of the few independent,
innovative agencies which has shaken up
the industry and continues to do so,” Park
declares. “We’re not just a ‘styling house’
that you go to if you want a nice-looking
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
054 ANNUAL SHOWCASE 2020
seat. We’re involved in shaping and
changing the industry. I think this makes
us appeal to people like Boom, who
actively want to be disruptive.”
As Boom’s plane is all-new, there
is more room to shape normally fixed
elements or hard parts too. It’s something
that excites JPA’s Orson, as he states:
“We’re in a position to have a dialogue
regarding every aspect of the airframe,
which is flexible, so the lighting, electronics
– everything we might have an interest
in – is to some extent up for grabs. We’ve
never had the chance to influence the size
or shape of a window before for example,
so this is really special.”
GUILT-FREE RECLINING
Alongside these future-facing halo projects,
JPA is still very much involved in ‘here and
now’ aviation seating too. Its improved
design for the partially fixed back, long-haul
economy seat developed by Optimares and
now ready for Qatar Airways, is one example.
Addressing a fear of economy flyers – namely
the seat of the passenger in front reclining
back to invade the space of the passenger
behind – JPA has instead optimised a seat
3. AN OLED PANEL SURROUNDING A
WINDOW ON THE BOOM JET CREATES
A PANORAMIC VIEW AT 60,000FT
4. THE OPTIMARES QUADRA SEAT,
CO-CREATED BY JPA DESIGN
whose shell basically stays put while the
seat pads slide down and forward.
As Orson says: “The mk1 version
shared the same working principles, but
the client wanted something that reduced
weight and enhanced the experience, and
we were sufficiently experienced in
materials, kinematics and engineering
principles to be able to take this on.”
And therein lies one of JPA’s key
differentiators, alongside the agency’s
independent spirit and stance, as Orson
concludes: “We influence the industry,
but we’re not so close as to be siloed
within it. A lot of that mindset comes
from our founder, James Park. It’s the
reason he set the business up the way
he did, so it’s not purely an aviation
group. We design interiors for trains,
airport lounges, five-star hotels and
health centres too. We’re not happy
with aviation today – we want to change
it and make it better.”
JPA Design
created the reverse
herringbone layout
of Safran’s Cirrus
business class
seat
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3
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“ WE’RE ONE OF THE FEW INDEPENDENT
AND INNOVATIVE AGENCIES WHICH
HAS SHAKEN UP THE INDUSTRY AND
CONTINUES TO DO SO”
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