Creative collaboration: the key to progress
How superyacht design is moving and can move forward was at the crux of most of the sessions during SYD Week, but two of the final sessions of the event really highlighted the importance of collaboration in progress…
(L to R) Evan K Marshall, Marco Casali and Cristiano Gatto
For an industry to stay relevant it is imperative that it constantly innovates and evolves. How superyacht design is moving and can move forward was at the crux of most of the sessions during SuperyachtDESIGN Week, but two of the final sessions of the event really highlighted this. In particular, they highlighted the importance of collaboration in order to achieve the best results.
A prime example of collaboration is the RFF135 catamaran project from Royal Falcon Fleet, Porsche and Greenline Yacht Interiors, due to be launched later this year, which was covered in Q15 of SuperyachtDesign. On stage, Roland Heiler of Porsche Design Studio, Greenline’s Gianluca Ascheri and Ivan Salas Jefferson from Royal Falcon Fleet shared the details of the project - one that promises to be a game changer not only in terms of design but also in terms of fractional ownership (they announce that they have already sold two hulls to fractional owners).
The collaboration with Porsche is key to what makes the catamaran something special though. Heiler revealed how the owner and CEO of Royal Falcon Fleet, Mr Zaman, told Porsche that he didn’t want a silhouette like a traditional catamaran. As a result, Porsche were able to approach the design in the same way that they approach car design. From the unique exterior it would be difficult not to notice the fact that this is not your typical catamaran project. For a full interview with Mr Zaman and details on this project, see Q15.
Encouraging progress by collaborating is exactly what Benetti wanted to do with its Design Innovation project - a project that Nicola Nicolai and Michela Bellini from Benetti came to discuss with delegates at SupeyachtDESIGN Week on the final day of the event.
Benetti asked 16 different design studios to create new and exciting concepts based on three platforms last year. Nicolai explained that they had almost no restrictions for the designers: “We didn’t want to limit their creativity or the possibilities to develop the Benetti brand.” And develop the Benetti brand they did. The result is a selection of concepts from some of the industry’s top designers that really challenge the traditional notion of a ‘Benetti’.
Three designers joined Benetti on stage to explain more about their concepts. “It was an exciting challenge,” Evan K Marshall told the audience. “We did two months of work and created two designs: one from scratch and another almost from scratch.” Marshall explains that he used the opportunity to develop a 60m design for the owner of Diamonds Are Forever, another Benetti launched last year. As well as this concept, Marshall worked on an 83m that was more unique and dramatic. Marco Casali of TOO Design was also present to show his three concepts (which you can read more about here) as was Cristiano Gatto, who admitted that he had more experience designing interiors but really enjoyed the project, putting together a concept that included all the things that he would like in a boat.
Nicolai emphasised that the whole project had helped take Benetti to the next level. Adapting is the only way for the 140 year old yard to go forward. He revealed that they were in ongoing negotiations with 10 clients for Benetti Design Innovation concepts.
You can read more about Benetti Design Innovation online here. For more news from SuperyachtDESIGN Week, click here.
Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here.
