"Why can't there be a shower on a plane? Jacques Pierrejean, designer

As an architect by training, how did you come to design the Emirates mini-suite?

Jacques Pierrejean - One day, during a trip in a Boeing 747, I started thinking about the interior architecture of aircraft. One thing led to another, and for twelve years I was artistic advisor to Dassault Falcon Services. Fitting out private aircraft is a real laboratory from which, for example, came the idea of putting a shower in an aircraft, which later led to the Emirates shower spa.

Because you then turned your attention to commercial aviation...

J. P. - What I did for small aircraft, I could also do for larger ones. That's how I came to work for Airbus and Emirates, two fast-growing players who wanted to make their mark. The Emirates mini-suite appeared in 1998 on the new Airbus A 340-500, an innovation that led to a redesign of the front of the aircraft to remove the baggage compartments.

Did this mini-sequel foreshadow the current move upmarket?

J. P. - Previously, suppliers offered relatively identical aircraft. Now, an airline wanted a product that reflected its brand image. After Emirates, I worked on Etihad's business class, which was designed to reflect its upmarket image. It was the first time that an airline offered a completely flat seat in business class with an independent exit. To win market share, Middle Eastern and Asian airlines needed these products. And that's what's pulling the players in Old Europe and the United States up by their bootstraps.
Today's customers know the difference. They want to be able to work on confidential matters with a degree of privacy, relax in a laid-back position after the work session, and then fall asleep horizontally.