Aircraft

Boeing has revealed the interior design of the recently launched 747-8 Intercontinental in a newly completed two-deck mock-up of the door two entryway area at its Customer Experience Center in Renton, Washington.

The design incorporates features of both the 787 and 777, says Boeing director of passenger satisfaction and revenue Klaus Brauer, who adds that the company has been careful not to abandon the design heritage of the 747. "It's like the Porsche 911 - there's such equity in the name and that's the spirit in which we're approaching this," says Brauer.

The centrepiece of the mock-up is the redesigned stairway that, although in roughly the same location by door two, now features a stylised spiral opening and open area at the aft part of the top deck. Although originally considering a revised stairway position against the right side of the cabin, Boeing opted for the current design after input from its airline interior working group. The group, which numbers "more than a dozen" airlines, decided against repositioning the stair because "there will be a galley associated with the stairway and, in that position by door two, people would be exposed to that galley," says Brauer.

Boeing 787 architecture styles have been used for the shaping and lighting of the interior ceiling and sidewall panelling, as well as 777 style windows. The 787 styles have been achieved with careful interior sculpting, but "have been executed completely differently" using the conventional trim, main deck and upper-deck floor beams and fittings of the existing 747 design. The 777 windows - 388mm (15in) tall and 273mm wide - are larger than those of the 747, and have been adopted as part of a decision to use the 777-style structural window belt.

At the top of the stairway is a revised upper deck area, which Brauer says "will extend back to where the closet used to be", adding that the change to the more open architecture is possible because of the increased bin storage space in the -8 design. The stairway extends to the upper deck through a "blue pool of light", which is reminiscent of 787 ceiling designs. "The 787 taught us the value of starting off these things right, and the 747-8 gave us opportunities beyond my wildest dreams," he says.