Boeing has rolled out its new, much-anticipated midsized 787 Dreamliner plane. Here's a peek at the design strategy behind the Dreamliner's interiors. The design team strove for a design language that would convey a sense of comfort and offer subtle yet memorable cues meant to signal the Boeing brand. The idea is to help passengers recognize a Dreamliner as a Boeing jet, no matter which airline owns the plane.
Shown here is the plane's entry, which features a soaring vaulted ceiling and a curvaceous, skylight-like overhead detail that gives a sense of space. The idea is to welcome passengers to the airplane. Boeing focused on customer needs when developing its design strategy, using a combination of international airline surveys, personal anecdotes, and ethnographic-style research. Boeing plans to carry over many of the designs developed for the Dreamliner to forthcoming planes, to help maintain the company's brand identity. Lets take a turn around the interior of the Dreamliner.
Entryway Ceiling
The high, arched ceiling of the entryway is meant to emphasize "a change of environments" for passengers entering the cabin after walking down a low-ceilinged airport gate hallway. The designers wanted to provide the effect of walking through an airy, dramatic architectural atrium.
Cabin
The design team wanted to keep signature architectural details of the Dreamliner consistent throughout the plane. Seen here is a view of the cabin; visible is the continuation of the arch motif from the entryway. There is a bar-like area at the front of the coach-class section (toward the back of the plane) where passengers can stand and rest. It's there to encourage them to move about and be both active and comfortable during the flight.
Intelligent Windows
Every seat is a window seat. The windows, which measure 19 in. by 11 in., are more than two times larger than current standard airline windows and offer views of both sky and horizon from each seat. The designers were able to create bigger windows because of the lighter composite materials used to construct the Dreamliner. They also applied new material technologies to the window designs, which feature electrochromatic gel sandwiched between two pieces of glass. When electricity is flagged to the gel, the window dims or clears—meaning there is no need for cumbersome shades. The crew controls 93% of the shading action, but passengers have the final control of each window's level of light filtering, Wood says.
Bin Latches
The design team designed the distinctive overhead bin latches relatively early in the design process; because we wanted to improve the things that passengers interface with directly. They wanted to create a latch that can be used intuitively, universally. The large, raised half-circles at the top and bottom provide a visual clue where a hand should be placed; the smaller, indented circles indicate where passengers should place a finger or thumb. It doesn't matter if passengers push or pull—the latch will open either way.
Interiors
To keep passengers from feeling boxed in or cramped while in flight, the designers created an interior that doesn't look like a large tube. There's a more room-like scale to provide a sense of comfort. The cabin also features the vaulted ceiling detail throughout, even toward the back of the plane. The cabin's soothing lighting, provided by LED lights, can be set to mimic dusk, dawn, or daylight effects.
Flight Deck
Boeing wanted to extend a sense of comfort to the pilot and co-pilot of the plane, too. So the they designed the flight deck, to be harmonious with the sleek interior design of the rest of the plane and not just to have the generic, technical feel of most cockpits. They used the same colors, the same languages of form, to create a welcoming spirit that you see throughout.
Boeing 747-8 Interiors
This is an image of the interior of the forthcoming Boeing 747-8 plane, a jumbo jet scheduled to begin flying in 2009. It features design elements that echo those found in the smaller 787 Dreamliner. The designers faced the challenge of carrying over elements from the Dreamliner to create a consistent brand message for other new Boeing planes. Notice the many curved lines and room-like scale, as well as the soft lighting.
Boeing 747-8 Cabin
Here is another image of a full-scale interior for the 747-8, inspired by the Dreamliner's interior design. The circular section in the front is meant to serve as a communal table-like area where passengers can meet or rest—another design element that carries over from the 787.
