The New Space Race

Cabin size and comfort level have become as critical as range and speed - and it's a game of inches.

-  Michael Verdon

FROM LIGHT JETS to intercontinental bizliners, supersizing interiors is, yes, the biggest design trend in business aviation.

“Maximising space has become a default expectation for clients,” says Matt Hill, vice president of sales and marketing for Aloft Aero-Architects, which designs bespoke interiors for owners with myriad missions. Aloft works exclusively with Boeing Business Jets (BBJs), the world’s largest private aircraft converted from commercial airliners.

After the aircraft is delivered with its ‘green’ (that is, empty) interior, Aloft begins the cabin completions, a process that can take thousands of man-hours. And while the BBJs seem to have acres of available interior space, Hill compares his team’s challenges to those involved in designing a tiny home: both share strictly defined dimensions that force designers to think creatively. Increasing usable space is often a matter of inches, so figuring out the smartest way to utilise every area becomes the most important consideration. “We’ve always prioritised building multiple capabilities into smaller spaces to make each area more efficient,” Hill says.

For example, if an owner wants both an office and a guest bedroom in limited space, Aloft will try to puzzle a design together. Hill lists possible solutions: “Can we create a desktop that’s stowable, have seats on tracks that form a queen-sized bed or even leverage a Murphy bed?”