Sectio aurea in Latin refers to the Golden Section, the mathematical ratio that appears in many patterns in nature, which most architects and designers believe is the most aesthetically pleasing formula.

Pininfarina, the famous Turin-based studio behind hundreds of designs for automotive brands such as Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and others, has joined forces with Rossinavi and taken the Golden Section principle to develop a 70m superyacht concept with fluid lines inspired by the sea and marine organisms. Thanks to the diesel-electric propulsion package, which allows for greater flexibility in the engine room arrangement amidships, more space has been reserved for the aft beach club.

“Aurea, the first collaboration between the Italian design firm and Rossinavi, will focus on the lifestyle of the owner and guests with a record-size beach club for a yacht of its size,” says Filippo Rossi, COO of Rossinavi (pictured above left with Paolo Pininfarina, chairman of the eponymous design studio). “Aurea’s design features two swimming pools, three large outdoor decks and additional water-level access on both sides of the hull.”

The most striking element, however, is the superstructure styling—seemingly simple yet actually quite complex—that recalls the helical form of sea shells, a favourite example of the Golden Section as it appears in nature. Instead of the rigidly layered decks of most superyachts, the sculpted superstructure lines fall away from fore to aft in a way that gracefully disguises the deck volumes.

Aware that the market is undergoing a cultural as well as a technological and generational shift, Rossinavi has been ahead of the curve in proposing new design solutions to the market since collaborating with the University of Monaco in a research project to develop a series of concepts by young designers created specifically with the emerging generation of Millennial owners in mind (see issue 178 of The Superyacht Report). Aurea is very much a product of this awareness, but designed to appeal to a wider client profile regardless of age.

Most collaborations between yacht builders and automotive designers have been limited to luxury runabouts that offer a car-sized canvas, such as the Arrow460 designed by Mercedes, the AM37 by Aston Martin and the Lexus Sport Yacht prototype. Pininfarina, on the other hand, is no stranger to large yacht design and in the past has worked with various superyacht brands, including Abeking & Rasmussen on 36.5m Kalamoun, Lurssen on 46.60m Shergar, Wally on the WallyCento #4, and Fincantieri on its 85m Ottantacinque concept.

Aurea is a mature development of that prior experience and takes innovative design to a higher level with its chamfered shapes derived from the automotive world and the lamellar structure of the transom staircase—another composition that appears in bio-structures. The result is an aesthetic based on the pure, elegant and evergreen design that Pininfarina has been developing for high-end brands for more than 87 years.

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Rossinavi - (Cantiere Navale Fratelli Rossi)

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