They welcome visitors, farewell locals and shape first and last impressions of a place. They are also operationally demanding buildings where passenger experience, commercial performance, safety, security, leasing, retail, hospitality and sustainability need to work together.

At studiospillane, we design aviation interiors that make these environments clearer, calmer and more enjoyable.

Our work considers how people move, wait, gather, dine, shop, work and rest in airport spaces. Good aviation design can reduce stress, improve flow, support staff and operators, strengthen dwell and retail performance, and connect terminal environments more closely with the places they serve.

studiospillane has contributed to projects across Brisbane, Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Townsville and Gold Coast airports.

Our aviation experience spans terminal interiors, passenger dwell zones, food and beverage precincts, airport retail, tenancy design, retail design management, retail design guidelines, concept design, aesthetic masterplanning and stakeholder coordination.

Airport projects require more than a strong visual concept. They require practical delivery, clear communication, careful stakeholder management and an understanding of how airport environments operate every day.

Passenger experience, retail and operational flow

Passengers may be excited, tired, rushed or uncertain, while staff and operators work within high-volume, operationally sensitive environments.

We consider passenger journeys, circulation, queuing, dwell, sightlines, seating choice, accessibility, retail visibility, hospitality integration and the relationship between public space and operational requirements.

Airport retail is not a standalone fitout exercise. It forms part of a larger terminal experience and must respond to passenger flow, dwell time, wayfinding, leasing boundaries, food and beverage operations, commercial priorities and the overall quality of the airport environment.

As retail design managers, we work with airport teams, leasing agents, tenancy coordinators and tenants to improve design quality, customer experience and cohesion across retail and food and beverage precincts.

Place, identity and sustainability

Airports have the opportunity to reflect the character, climate, landscape, culture and identity of the place they serve.

Our aviation work is grounded in place-based design. We look for ways to connect terminal interiors with local materials, stories, makers, landscape, climate, light, artwork and the emotional experience of arrival and departure.

In aviation projects, sustainability is practical. Retail offers shift, tenancy arrangements change, passenger needs evolve and operational requirements continue to develop.

We prioritise refurbishment before replacement, adaptive reuse, long-life materials, Australian-made furniture, local sourcing, recycled content, modularity, repairability and design for defit.

Good aviation design should be inclusive, accessible, durable, commercially useful and easier to adapt over time.

Selected aviation work

Our aviation projects demonstrate experience across terminal interiors, passenger dwell spaces, airport hospitality, retail design management, tenancy design guidelines and place-based airport environments.

Each project responds to a different brief, site and operational context, but together they demonstrate how studiospillane balances passenger experience, operational performance, commercial outcomes and sustainability in practice.

Detailed aviation capability statement available on request.

Brisbane Airport Corporation has worked with studiospillane since they opened in 2019 and with Angela for over 15 years across a range of projects airport wide. They have played an integral role in the design outcomes of retail and food and beverage tenancies across both terminals, always bringing a customer centric lens to all projects. Angela has driven the wider BAC team and our partners to achieve more sustainable outcomes, reusing and recycling items wherever possible. Angela is a valued partner and is always a delight to work with – taking time to understand the brief and requirements. She has an ability to connect with all different types of people and roles, managing stakeholder relationships in complex environments. studiospillane is always professional, well organised and continuously delivers high quality work which is on time and on budget. I would highly recommend the team to all.

Lauren Graham, Head of Commercial Marketing, Brisbane Airport Corporation

Selected aviation projects

|  Brisbane Domestic Southern Retail

|  Brisbane International Airport

|  Cairns International Airport

|  Sunshine Coast Airport

| Townsville Airport Terminal