tech+design text : : sylvia khan LUXURY YACHT DESIGN a child drawing a boat today wouldn t be able to do it with a semicircle, a triangle and a straight line anymore. technology and design have found another stomping ground with luxury yacht design. while the exteriors are more space age and aerodynamic, the interiors are all über-luxury, despite the basics still being bolted down! SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 84 India, sadly, does not enjoy the sea as much as she could. Despite having the luxury of extended coastlines, we lack a yachting culture. However, with increasing awareness of the luxe life and changing patterns of desire, India too aspires to the lifestyle defined by such serious toys as yachts. IFJ takes a look at yacht design from the inside, from the perspective of the manufacturers and designers of luxury yachts, who create these floating marvels of design. john shuttleworth yacht designs ltd. uk photo : jochen manz
fipa group italy defined by design While everyone agrees on the importance of design, this is an industry that is defined by it, both for safety as well as aesthetics. As in other segments of the luxury market, manufacturers use design to create a unique identity. Design is one of the predominant components to think about when realizing an Italian super yacht: the aesthetic must go hand-in-hand with both functionality and comfort on board our Amer Yachts, says Barbara Amerio, Co-owner, Gruppo Permare, going so far as to use this as a motto : Different is possible. Fellow Italian yachtmaker Francesco Guidetti, President and Founder, Fipa Group, concurs, also emphasizing customization saying, The aspect of design is one of the most important for us. Our creations are completely customized, making each product unique both from the technical as well as the design aspect, in order to offer a dream made to the measure of its clients. Luca Bassani, Founder and CEO, Wally reiterates, Design is part of Wally DNA. Since the inception of our company in 1994, we have integrated design with technology, resulting in both innovative and aesthetically appealing boats with improved functionality. Stressing the balance of function and form, he continues, Functional design is one of Wally guidelines: all the technical solutions are developed along with the aesthetic because the beauty of the boat is as important as performance. The design process is to deduct, rather than adding, and this is the reason our yachts have pure and clean lines. Fabio Rosa, Owner, Rose Island, Italy, also says their brand Lobster has a recognizable design, that he terms a family look. amer yachts, gruppo permare italy john shuttleworth yacht designs ltd. uk photo : jochen manz
amer yachts, gruppo permare italy rose island italy design and designers Most companies have their own in-house designers and design teams, though several mentioned using the skills of design professionals and notable architects, often introduced by their clientele. Some, such as Rose Island prefer an exclusive relationship with one designer, in their case, Marino Alfani, Alfani Design who works with their technical team. SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 86 Suppliers such as Wally use design as a differentiator, cooperating with easily identifiable names for their brands, such as Lord Norman Foster (Dark Shadow) and Lazzarini Pickering Architects (Wally B and the Wally80s) or Odile Decq (Essence). Luca Bassani says, The architects interact with the research and development and technical and design departments to produce interior design that reflects the soul of the specific yacht to create a coherent brand personality. The Fipa Group too uses design differentiation for their three brands, all of which have different characteristics. Maiora, has a classic and timeless line, with typical, eye-shaped windows; the AB Yacht design reflects the sporting spirit while Chi Navi is a completely customized model. Always looking for the wow factor, yacht makers such as Bassani introduced the inside-outside living concept with the terrace-on-the-sea that uses mirrored glass as a continuation of the outside and a glass superstructure, an innovation in the yacht industry, in 2002. Barbara Amerio points to the balance between the interior and exterior features of a boat. She says, It s the sum of these two elements which determines the model s success. Adding that they work with Massimo Verme, for the exteriors and Stefano Tini for the interiors; designers who amer yachts, gruppo permare italy have helped the company achieve important international rewards such as the Boat of the Year award in 2009, and ADI Best Designaward for Amer, in 2010 while the Wally yachts are the recipients of two Compasso d Oro awards. Rose Island s Fabio Rosa says, Design goes beyond external appearance or some internal parts and customers have other expectations such as the water lines of the hull and smooth sailing in rough seas, fuel economy and outstanding stability, the study of the internal organs and the layout of the interior.
fipa group italy wally monaco john shuttleworth yacht designs ltd. uk photo : guy nowell fipa group italy wally monaco DESIGN photo : toni meneguzzo photo : toni meneguzzo 87
fipa group italy glamorous partnerships With the high glamor quotient of both industries, it s not surprising that yacht manufacturers have an association with both high-level furniture design and fashion. Gruppo Permare has collaborated with Universities and Design Schools, as the Istituto Europeo per il Design (European Institute for Design) in Turin or Marangoni Fashion School in Milan. Wally has worked with several high-end brands such as Hermès and Pucci. Luca Bassani says, It was very important both to share different approaches and to enhance our brand value because of the increase in the media exposure and the top level of these brands. Fipa Group too has worked in cooperation with Armani Casa, Fendi, Poltrona Frau, Gucci, Cassina, Versace and many others saying, they work with Italian brands which express the excellence of Made in Italy like us. Despite it s relatively underplayed image, another historically great seafaring nation, the UK, has produced the extremely sophisticated lines of boats designed by John Shuttleworth Yacht Designs Ltd. Designer John Shuttleworth says, I have always been interested in yachts, and liked to focus on innovative ways to improve efficiency for sail and power. With our main focus being form follows function we have developed our styling in a unique way. Current computer software developed for the motor industry has allowed us to refine our design to the level you see in Adastra. The company has won numerous awards for the design of Adastra from boating events across the globe, [Best Design, Best Innovation, Best Naval Architecture, Best Exterior Styling] and the 2013 ShowBoats Design Award for Motor Yacht Naval Architecture against a field of 19 of the best superyachts in the world today. Italian design has a small footprint in India as well, with Studio Caliari setting up a workshop in Pondicherry, in South India. Despite it being early days for the project, the general coordinator of the project, professor Pier Federico Caliari of the Politecnico di Milano university, DATSU department, considers the experience not only a positive one, but also one that has to have a further development of the particular technologies applied for the construction of lightweight hulls. Professor Anantha Subramanian, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras sums up saying, At the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, we see this international collaborative development to have great value for the future. KEY INDUSTRY EVENT : The Genoa Boat Show, 1-6 October, 2014 www.genoaboatshow.com wally monaco photo : toni meneguzzo