ALMADESIGN CONCEITO E DESENVOLVIMENTO DE DESIGN LDA

Their core work

Almadesign is a Portuguese industrial design consultancy specializing in transport design — from aircraft interiors and cabin concepts to airport passenger environments. They bring human-centered design expertise to aviation R&D programs, focusing on how passengers experience aircraft cabins, boarding processes, and airport spaces. Their work bridges the gap between engineering requirements and user experience, making them a design partner for large aerospace and transport consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2014-2018) centered on airport passenger experience — smart boarding, luggage flow, personalised information systems, and reducing traveller stress through better interior design (PASSME). Their more recent involvement (2020-2024) shifted toward aircraft and rotorcraft design with an emphasis on energy efficiency, cost efficiency, and eco-design principles. This shows a clear movement from ground-side passenger experience toward airborne vehicle design with a growing sustainability dimension.

Almadesign is moving from pure passenger comfort toward integrating sustainability and eco-design into aerospace, making them increasingly relevant for Green Deal-aligned aviation projects.

How they like to work

Almadesign operates primarily as a third-party specialist brought in for design expertise rather than leading or even co-leading projects — two of their three projects are third-party roles under Clean Sky 2. Their one direct participation (PASSME) placed them in a large consortium. This profile suggests they are a trusted niche contributor that larger consortia call on when they need industrial design skills, rather than a project initiator.

Despite their small project count, Almadesign has touched 101 unique consortium partners across 16 countries, largely through the large Clean Sky 2 and PASSME consortia. Their network is broad but indirect — built through participation in major European aviation programs rather than bilateral partnerships.

What sets them apart

Almadesign occupies a rare niche: they are an industrial design SME embedded in aerospace R&D consortia. Most transport-sector H2020 participants are engineering firms, research institutes, or airlines — a dedicated design house that understands both human factors and aircraft cabin constraints is uncommon. For any consortium needing to demonstrate user-centered design or passenger experience innovation, they fill a gap that pure engineering partners cannot.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PASSME
  Their only directly funded project (EUR 283,692), focused on a distinctive topic — redesigning the entire airport-to-aircraft passenger journey for seamless, stress-free travel.
• GAM-2020-AIR
  Their most recent project (2020-2024) under Clean Sky 2, introducing eco-design into airframe work and signaling their sustainability trajectory.