By Mark Tranter, Airport Sector Manager, Brintons Limited, Brintons Carpets Limited
SubscribeToday's modern airport plays a vital role in the global travel infrastructure that is developing rapidly to cope with the current and anticipated growth in passenger throughput. With the time that the average traveller is expected to spend inside the terminal building rising and the essential need to increase the revenue that the airport generates from concession areas a great challenge has been laid down for the airport designer of the future.
To cope with these massive increases in traffic all the materials used in the construction, maintenance and upkeep of the airport buildings will be subject to the most demanding wear and performance criteria imaginable. With anything up to three quarters of a million passengers a week, in some airports, this places enormous demands on all of the components, but particularly on passenger terminal furniture and floor coverings. Added to this is the continuing demand for passenger comfort and safety which should be paramount in the consideration of the materials selected by the specifier or relevant authority.
Woven Axminster wool rich carpet provides several advantages over other floor coverings and makes it a critical component in the modern airport of today and the future. Not only does it provide the canvas for a highly creative use of design it also provides a high performance, durable and safe flooring product over possible alternatives.
As the gateway to a country the interior concept can have a powerful psychological impact on the passengers and make a clear statement about how the country treats their guests and how the airport regards its users. The various schemes can also assist passengers in their overall enjoyment of the facilities available inside the terminal building from a calming environment in a lounge, seating area or gatehold to a livelier atmosphere in a concession, restaurant or café enhancing the total airport experience.
After disembarking from a long flight walking on soft floor coverings, such as carpet, provides far greater underfoot comfort for passengers and whilst waiting to board a comfortable environment promotes spending in concession areas and restaurants, an essential part of today’s modern airport.
For airport management practical considerations such as ease of installation and removal, low-cost regular maintenance, durability and life cycle refurbishment costings are important factors. Also an overriding concern is the passenger safety element of a non-slip surface, high flammability performance and low static electricity generation, all excellent characteristics of a woven carpet. This linked to environmentally friendly materials and manufacturing methods makes wool rich carpet a number one choice for all international airports from concession areas straight through to lounges, gateholds and heavy wear concourses.
