Press Release
Butterfly Aircraft Seat by James Lee Wins the Silver A' Design Award in Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design
James Lee of Butterfly honored for vehicle, mobility and transportation design by the international grand jury of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2020 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Butterfly Aircraft Seat by James Lee of Butterfly, designed for Butterfly Flexible Seating Solutions Limited, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design category. The award was conferred within the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Silver A' Design Award
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
Regarding Butterfly Aircraft Seat
Butterfly is a flexible aircraft seating system that allows transformation between premium economy seats and business class flatbed suites. Each Butterfly suite contains two reclining seats staggered relative to each other, and both seats together are sold as premium economy. Cabin crew can flip the window seat over to form a side couch, creating a business class suite for one passenger. Flipping the aisle seat as well creates a large flat surface for sleeping. The system lets operators adjust the cabin to changing demand and use floor space efficiently.
About Butterfly
Affiliated with Hong Kong-based Paperclip Design, an industrial design studio known in the transport industry for its innovative design concepts, Butterfly Flexible Seating Solutions is a company set up to commercialize flexible seating concepts in the wo
Award Record
James Lee of Butterfly is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design Award
The A' Vehicle Design Award is an international vehicle design competition recognizing good vehicle designs by best vehicle designers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to vehicle designers, mobility solution providers, transportation design studios and automotive engineers from all countries. Entries typically include cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trucks, buses and trains. Awarded vehicle designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/vehicle
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/88997
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/88997
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!88997
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/253926
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://www.butterflyseating.com
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Butterfly Aircraft Seat
- Function
- Aircraft Seat
- Category
- Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Automotive
- Colors
- Gray, Dim Gray, Rosy Brown, Silver and Gainsboro
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Butterfly Flexible Seating Solutions Limited
The Recognition
- Laureate
- James Lee
- Country
- Hong Kong (China)
- Brand
- Butterfly
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2019 - 2020
- Design ID
- #88997
Credits
- Team
- Vincent Tam and Lars Rinne
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Butterfly is a flexible aircraft seating system that allows instant transformation between premium economy and business class flatbed suites. The concept enables operators to adjust their cabin configuration to real-time market changes, allowing them to make efficient use of valuable floor-space, increase aircraft utilization and reduce business risk. It also gives passengers new ways to configure their own space, whether it is a cosy private retreat or a family-friendly social space.
- Inspiration
- Demand is never constant, yet aircraft configurations are usually fixed. As a passenger, I often noticed wasted space on flights. Sometimes economy class is overbooked but business class is rather empty, sometimes the opposite occurs. And as someone who have once worked in an airline, I reckon the need for an adaptable seat that can react to changing market demand. The implication to the operational efficiency is transformative, much like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly.
- Operation and Interaction
- Each Butterfly suite is made of two reclining seats staggered relative to each other. When both seats are used, they are sold as premium economy class. Airline crew can flip the window seat over to form a side couch, which turns it into a long-haul business class suite for one passenger. When the aisle seat is flipped over as well, it forms a flat surface continuous with the side couch, which together forms a large sleeping surface long enough for a passenger to lie flat diagonally.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in 2014 in Hong Kong and is still ongoing.
- Keywords
- Aircraft Seating, Flexibility, Transform, Airline, Business class, Premium Economy
