Textiles in Transit. An Investigation of Contract Textiles in Airport Terminals

The selection of textiles for public spaces is an essential task for interior designers, as they must decide whether and where textiles are needed as well as to what extent. Due to the wide availability and variety of textiles, the choice of materials and qualities becomes a challenging task, requiring interdisciplinary dialogue between textile and interior professionals. The objective of this thesis is to describe the contract textile business, the relationship between textile designers and interior designers, as well as the decision-making process leading to the creation of public places. This process is explored through observations and investigations in the field, in addition to expert interviews. The thesis also presents a case study describing the integration of contract textiles in economy waiting halls and business lounges at Helsinki Airport that illustrates the conditions under which textiles are chosen, the requirements that they must fulfil and the influence of international regulations on the designer’s work. This case study reveals oppositional reasons for avoiding and implementing textiles in airport terminals, since economy waiting halls and business lounges follow completely different design approaches. Hence, the meaning of textiles and the place of their integration changes from functional and business-driven to comfortable and design-driven. Furthermore, the study describes a lack of collaboration and material knowledge among stakeholders. This thought-provoking impulse opens a discussion on the general decision-making process and the current status of knowledge exchange and collaboration between textile and interior professionals. Especially textile and interior designers must improve their collaboration in order to close the existing gap of material knowledge and better fulfil customer needs. As little reliable and objective information on contract textiles exists, the thesis includes a proposal for an online encyclopaedia, which aims to enhance the exchange of information and improve goal-oriented collaboration between textile and interior professionals