A colourful end to the first day of SYD Week
The afternoon of the event's first day took a colourful turn and saw attendees paint with gold, while others looked at how a yacht's resale value can limit the innovative use of colour in design.…
After a refuel of some delicious food from Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, the afternoon of the first day got underway. Craig Frost and Harald Schnepfleitner of Interior Proman welcomed guests to their stand to share information on their product and where the group is headed. The superyacht floor provider stated it worked “to have an IMO product that is relatively risk free and is linked back to us", showcasing their keen attention to detail and commitment to customer service".
Meanwhile, Crystal Caviar was on hand to offer guests the ability to paint with gold who, after burning into the glass, will be able to take home their own personal gold keepsake (see photo above).
"When it comes to veneers, the answer is more often yes than no. If you have a concept for something truly unique that involves a veneer inlay or the colour of the veneer or finish, nine times out of ten, we will be able to make it for you," said Richard Chilcott at J. Robert Scott.The chief executive officer at the custom furniture manufacturer explored the many furniture pieces the company has made, most notably its patented Ombre-finished pieces. Chilcott also presented a wide range of luxury textiles it can offer that complements its hand-built furniture.
"Each owner wants to impress their own personality on the boat" said Ken Hickling, Awlgrip, as he lead the Limitless Colour session, outlining that while colour will let an owner put their own personality onto their vessel, it can be that the idea of selling the yacht further down the line can put off innovative uses of colour. Despite the myriad of possibilities available, a boat that is more superyacht "typical”, however, is easier to sell. The only issue there, Hickling pointed out, is that an owner won't feel as though it's their boat and that all boats will eventually look the same. With that he presented two radically different uses of colour with a ‘designer challenge’ on the hull of Blohm+Voss' Myan Queen 4, showing an example of a 'pixellated' hull with luminous detailing from Vripack to a more subdued 1960s styling with a modern twist from Rob Doyle, which featured a dark cream and dark chestnut hull. However, as Geoff Moore, Royale Oceanic, expressed, the costs involved in maintaining the upkeep of a boat with more radical colourings is also what can put owners off. Alongside the idea of resell value, this is what seems to be keeping at bay a more "colourful" superyacht sector.
Ken Hickling looks at how colour innovation is limited due to the consideration of a yacht's resale value
In the Materials breakout session, headed by by associate director Jan Wurm and senior engineer Carra Guglielmo from Arup, the room agreed that regulations continue to plague the innovation that pushes design in the superyacht industry. Wurm explained that land-based design continues to extend its reach into the realms of design and asked what stops superyacht design from "pushing the envelope" even with regulatory constraints. Also discussed was the life-cycle of a design, from tracking where the material comes from to how the end product is disassembled at the end of its life. Guglielmo focused in on the idea that "exteriors are mainly designed to improve the performance of the materials because they need to be able to resist the environment" but also explained that they must also be made to be easily adaptable.Watch an interview with Wurm, Guglielmo and James O'Callaghan by clicking here.
The final session of the day saw a presentation by Patrik Schumacher from Zaha Hadid Architects. The company director and senior design of the studio gave an overview of the work achieved by the team in recent years. Schumacher pointed to the single continuous form of the land-based projects that the team has created highlighting how nature often influences their work. "We often look to nature for inspiration," he said. "Objects such as weathered rocks produce beautiful forms that we interpret and will inspire a project." Schumacher then went on to discuss the studio's yacht projects before taking questions from the floor, before the evening’s events kicked off.
Zaha Hadid senior designer Patrik Schumacher closes day one with his keynote
We would like to thank our sponsors for this event: Gold Level: Awlgrip, Blohm+Voss; Silver: Clyde & Co, Jonathan Fawcett and Kevin Glancy; and Bronze: AIM Yacht Interiors, Decored, Heirlooms, MyYachtMyMusic and OceanLED.
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