How often yacht concepts seemed to be but a fantasy, impossible in real life. But after a few years, all these bold ideas would come to fruition. What can we look forward to in the foreseeable future?
Oneiric
Zaha Hadid Architects, Rossinavi
The 44-meter catamaran Oneiric, which Zaha Hadid Architects presented together with the Italian shipyard Rossinavi at Milan Design Week, is as remarkable in its perfect shape as in its concept. The vessel is motor-powered, but it will sail the seas as environmentally friendly as possible — the creators are arguing for “a new era of green yachting”. The energy generated by the solar modules is enough for a day trip, while on a long voyage across, say, the Atlantic, the Oneiric will be able to run on electric power 70 percent of the time, emitting 40 tons less carbon dioxide than conventional motor yachts. While parked, the catamaran can supply energy to other objects, such as the villa.
Crystal
coquine![design]
The avant-garde DynaRig system is a new word in sailing rigging: the cloths aretwisted inside the masts and slide through the slots on the horizontal battens like theatrical curtains. This concept has so far only been implemented in two megayachts: Maltese Falcon (2006) and Black Pearl (2018). But the designers seem to like the idea — another concept for the DynaRig system was proposed by London studio coquine![design]. In addition to the sails, their 99-meter creation stands out with its unusual hull. The Crystal, a three-masted ship, is seemingly composed of shards of glass, and the creatively-placed slits in the sides and the many portholes allow natural light to shine through the structure. The rooms, the interiors of which were designed by Alexander Tiriat, are spacious and laconic.
Mako
State Of Craft
From the side, Mako has a traditional ship’s silhouette, but as you look at it from a slightly different perspective, you can see a trapezoidal cavity instead of a sharp ship’s bow, a gill-like structure covering the superstructure, and a triangular cross-section. The inspiration for the British design studio State of Craft came from the mako, one of the fastest sharks on Earth. So the silver and gray coloration and the carefully calculated hydrodynamics of the forms are not accidental. The 120-meter Mako has everything for luxury living aboard, from a spa and fitness center to an observatory and a “floating” yoga room. It will also appeal to the fans of active recreation, because in terms of seaworthiness and equipment it is classified as an exploration vessel: it has a helipad, a dive station, a whole fleet of tenders and marine toys, and most importantly, it is largely autonomous.
NOY
Aras Kazar
The project is named NOY in honor of Noah’s Ark — according to the idea of Aras Kazar, his trimaran will be able to withstand any flood. The yachts that this designer creates are characterized by minimalism and futuristic forms. NOY is no exception. Although the yacht may look like an isolated black object from the outside, it comes with a lot of features, including an open swimming pool and a panoramic view from the inside, thanks to solid tinted glass along the perimeter. Measuring 66 meters in length and 76 meters in width, the ship can accommodate not only six luxury guest suites and staterooms for 16 crew members, but also a movie theater, a wellness center with sauna and even a Zen garden for meditation. The ship’s electrical propulsion system will be solar-powered.
Pangeos
Pierpaolo Lazzarini
The Pangeos project is described as a cruise liner, but in terms of size and passenger capacity it is a veritable floating city. This turtle-shaped masterpiece was created by the designers from the Italian studio Lazzarini Design. The dimensions are truly impressive: it is 550 m long, the span of its front “fins” reaches 610 m, and the ship can accommodate up to 60 thousand people! There are residential clusters, terraced villas, restaurants, sports grounds and gardens along its perimeter. The rear “legs” are equipped with helipads and piers for ordinary yachts, while the front ones come with swimming pools. The ship’s “head” will have observation platforms and the wheelhouse. The ginormous liner, equipped with nine electric motors with 16,800 hp each, will be able to travel at a speed of 5 knots.
Photo: Zaha Hadid Architects, Christian Leyk/coquinedesign, stateofcraft.co.uk, araskazar.com, Lazzarini Design Studio