Graphic film decorates and protects Heathrow Airport terminal glass

“With the tight deadlines set by our clients and a fluid design requirement, we were able to convert designs into installed printed films sometimes within 24 hours.” -- Francisco Serrano, managing director, Vitrafol Ltd.

The basics:

United Kingdom-based Vitrafol Ltd. fit a variety of high-definition printed films onto pre-installed interior glass in British Airways’ First Class check-in lounges at London’s Heathrow Airport Terminal 5. Film application was completed in March, just before the new $8 billion terminal opened. Vitrafol used a variety of custom graphics including cherry wood simulations for desks and wall panels, a variety of patterns for walls and separator screens, and patterned and graded white designs on clear glass. The film provides protection against glass breakage and blocks ultraviolet light.

The players:

Designers, British Airways design team and Vitrafol Ltd., both of the United Kingdom; film fabrication and installation, Vitrafol Ltd.

The glass and systems:

Vitrafol printed graphics onto clear or tinted polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, substrate that was applied to 10-millimeter-thick tempered glass as well as laminated glass.