Curtis Fentress, Michael McCoy, and Arconas Launch Place™, the Latest Development in Airport Seating

The world-renowned aviation architect Curtis Fentress, and award-winning industrial designer Michael McCoy, collaborated on the design of Place™, a new airport seating aiming to enhance the passenger experience.

Image © Arconas

Place was born as a collaboration between the two designers for leading public seating manufacturer ARCONAS. The vision was to create a next-generation public seating that delivers comfort and practicality in an elegant design. In order to better serve the needs of modern traveler, Place was fully equipped with integrated power and USB, drink holders, a generous surface for dining or easy use of a tablet, and ample space below the chair for luggage storage.

Image © Arconas

The goal Michael [McCoy] and I had in working together was to effectively address the frustrations that travelers face daily. As a frequent flier, I can confidently say that Place is a huge step toward alleviating some of that pain. Place balances pragmatic functionality with a brilliantly simple aesthetic.

– Curtis Fentress

Image © Arconas

Image © Arconas

Curt and I threw out the old idea of airport seating and started fresh with a concept that is built around the observation that travelers are balancing a drink, some food and a bag and needing a place to recharge their mobile device.

– Michael McCoy

Image © Arconas

Image © Arconas

Place launched at the 2013 ACI North America Conference which took place in San Jose, California, in September and is available for purchase at ARCONAS.

Image © Arconas

Image © Arconas

Image © Arconas

Fentress Architects recently celebrated the opening of Phase I at LAX’s $1.9 billion Tom Bradley International Terminal, the largest public works project in Los Angeles history. Curtis Fentress is constantly exploring the future of aviation design and continues to patiently search to understand how to improve the travel experience and more.

About Curtis Fentress, FAIA, RIBA: Curtis Fentress, President and Principal in Charge of Design at Fentress Architects, is internationally recognized for his design portfolio. His firm, Fentress Architects, is an industry leader in aviation architecture with an airport design portfolio totaling more than 25 million square feet of constructed airport terminals and facilities. Curtis Fentress is known for his “curbside-to-airside” experience, offering passengers and airlines the latest in innovation, efficiency and comfort. His firm has been honored with more than 450 distinctions for design excellence and innovation. Fentress Architects has studios in Denver, Colorado; Los Angeles, California; San Jose, California; Washington, D.C.; London, U.K.; and Shanghai, China.

About Michael McCoy: Michael McCoy is the recipient of the Smithsonian’s first Design Minds National Design Award with Katherine McCoy for, in the words of the museum, “affecting a paradigm shift in the design profession.” His influential designs, including the new Horizon LED Light for Humanscale and the million-selling “Bulldog Chair” for Knoll, have won many international design awards including the Red Dot Award and the IDSA Gold Award and are in the permanent design collections of New York’s Museum of Modern Art and The Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. He is the former Director of 3D Design for the influential Cranbrook Academy of Art and holds an honorary doctorate from the Kansas City Art Institute.

About ARCONAS: Translated from the Greek language, ARCONAS means ‘innovative leader.’ Established in 1972, the company provides a comprehensive range of modular and public seating solutions, ergonomic business and soft seating solutions, portable workstations, task and cafe chairs, and occasional tables. Their work can be found in major airport and transportation terminals, government offices, universities, healthcare centers and corporate offices throughout the world.

*All images and information courtesy of Fentress Architects.