Summary
Airports are vital pieces of national infrastructure. They cost billions, and can take decades to design and deliver. We expect them to meet the day to day needs of millions of users, operate totally reliably, survive changing climate conditions, whilst providing a return on investment for their owners and operators. Stephen Pollard from Arup will explore the past present and future of a major airport in London, looking at challenges and successes to understand how best to manage design at the nexus of people, process, technology, and large complex assets.
Key Insights
-
•
Design practice has evolved from creating buildings to delivering national visions and economic investments.
-
•
Collaborating with economists, planners, and specialists enriches design strategy and execution.
-
•
Heathrow Airport’s financial model heavily influences design constraints and decisions, notably the flat landing charges.
-
•
Designers must go beyond execution and influence organizational strategy and economics.
-
•
Organizational culture and explicit value alignment are critical success factors in large-scale design delivery.
-
•
The transition from open partnerships to structured program management and business case gateways redefines design roles.
-
•
Design ops is emerging as a central discipline for ensuring quality and value in complex projects.
-
•
Early informal experiences and relationships shape perspectives that influence professional design thinking.
-
•
Pre-booking carry-on baggage into overhead lockers illustrates innovative thinking in future airport design.
-
•
Active engagement in strategy conversations allows designers to contribute meaningfully to business outcomes.
Notable Quotes
"Can we just hang out, get on the tube, and hang out at Heathrow? He looked at me very strangely."
"We’ve moved from simply delivering the design that’s in front of us to influencing the strategy itself."
"The landing charge is the key thing airlines look at and that needs to stay flat."
"Organizational culture and values have been essential to ensuring successful delivery."
"Design ops is at the heart of how we can achieve outstanding quality and value in design."
"This client project is very deliberate and explicit in focusing on culture and values."
"If you could pre-book your carry on baggage into the overhead locker, wouldn’t that be great?"
"We must talk like business people, not just designers."
"There’s been a steady evolution starting with delivering buildings to delivering national economic visions."
"I am so glad to be part of this new design ops community and wish you all the best of success."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"We are truly in a golden age for our profession."
Doug PowellClosing Keynote: Design at Scale
November 8, 2018
"Giving parents something meaningful to do during sessions helps keep them engaged and supportive."
Mila Kuznetsova Lucy DentonHow Lessons Learned from Our Youngest Users Can Help Us Evolve our Practices
March 9, 2022
"In Toronto it’s now illegal to transmit a Wi-Fi signal in designated public spaces, with penalties for violations—a policy driven by people wanting to unplug from digital life."
Sarah GallimoreInspire Progress with Artifacts from the Future
November 18, 2022
"Operations tends to be something companies only think about when they are scaling rapidly, but investing early is essential."
Lada Gorlenko Sharbani Dhar Sébastien Malo Rob Mitzel Ivana Ng Michal Anne RogondinoTheme 1: Discussion
January 8, 2024
"Nobody can predict where we’re going, but we can choose to shape the future."
Alnie FigueroaThe Future of Design Operations: Transforming Our Craft
September 10, 2025
"Mixed methods research, combining qualitative and quantitative, gives the fullest understanding of customer experience."
Landon BarnesAre My Research Findings Actually Meaningful?
March 10, 2022
"When you encounter an obstacle, how do you respond? Maybe it’s an invitation to grow."
Emily EagleCan't Rewind: Radio and Retail
June 3, 2019
"Managing resistance is mental; customers might resist because they've learned workarounds with legacy systems."
Malini RaoLessons Learned from a 4-year Product Re-platforming Journey
June 9, 2021
"Designers are often seen as bottlenecks because our work is harder to estimate and track than engineering’s."
Asia HoePartnering with Product: A Journey from Junior to Senior Design
November 29, 2023
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
How can teams create sustainable collaboration squads across time zones and competing priorities?
What are small steps teams can take to start making meaningful inclusive research without large-scale studies?
What roles do narrative and shared sense-making play in measuring learning within organizations?