FlyZero
2021
FlyZero is the British Government response to carbon neutral flying. FlyZero introduced the brief - how can the interior cabin be equally as carbon neutral as the engines? This involves material source, weight and repairability as an example.
James’ approach to the brief focused on a new form of seating that informed the layout of the cabin, and more importantly, how it influences behaviour during the flight.
The project is aimed at short haul flights with a maximum flight time of 3 hours.
The process started with something current - an existing set of plane chairs. Examining the layout of what is already used was essential. Without understanding its flaws, there could be no development.
Strength + Minimum weight
Aircraft chairs are a really good example of over-engineering a seat.
They have a huge amount of bulky upholstery that can be avoided. This concept features a mesh stretched over a metal frame to reduce weight. As little as possible, but as much as necessary.
Modularity
Making a chair modular and easily taken apart means that an airline is far more likely to repair their chairs rather than replace the whole thing if they ever break.
There are currently a huge number of different types of bolts and fixings used on an aircraft chair. The first task was to reduce component count and introduce consistency.
