This three-year study was carried out in association with the airport operator BAA. The construction of Heathrow Terminal 5, which will be Europe’s largest terminal, has prompted BAA to support a study of how airport design can be more socially inclusive. The research team began by investigating ageing or physically impaired passengers’ difficulties in finding their way around large, complex environments. Based upon this understanding, the project set out to generate design ideas that would aid instinctive wayfinding and make the navigation of the airport terminal a more comfortable experience for all passengers.
The final outcome of the study was a series of wayfinding principles for use by BAA in its terminal development programme. The six wayfinding principles were captured in an interactive CD-Rom for distribution to members of BAA’s design and development team.
Download full report (1.7MB PDF file)
Airport terminal design, wayfinding, architecture, user-centred design, inclusive design
