British naval architect Laurent Giles has unveiled a new 110m superyacht concept it is calling the High Efficiency Motoryacht (HEMY). As one of the oldest names in the market, Laurent Giles has recently unveiled a new approach to conceptual design, in which the studio is focusing heavily on the architectural and technological values of the project, rather than aesthetics alone.

“Now, the conceptual design we’re focusing on has a story behind it,” says managing director David Lewis. He continues, “Conceptual design here is more about the idea behind it, rather than just what it looks like.”

The constant influx of new concepts in the superyacht market means that there is a vast catalogue of of innovative concepts, yet the technology behind them tends to be conceived at a later stage. As a result, Laurent Giles has decided to create a series that has a bit more gravitas from a technological perspective, as well as a fully comprehensive design.

For HEMY, the philosophy all stems back to a design platform which reduces the accommodation/efficiency compromise that is often associated with modern superyacht arrangements. Through maximising the accommodation space within a given length, typically the result is a beamy, heavy and inefficient hull form with reduced seakeeping attributes. Ultimately, many modern superyachts that have been designed to maximise accommodation within a particular size range, and it is therefore, likely to succumb to some form of compromise.

“The concept was to start with a typical 70-75-metre yacht and lengthen the hull to offer increased interior volume and remain within a 3000-gross tonnage limit”, explains Lewis. “Not only does the HEMY offer increased accommodation volume, but with its more efficient length-to-beam ratio and lighter displacement-to-length, it offers significant improvements in performance and seakeeping.”

“The HEMY concept with the same power as a typical 75m achieves speed improvements of two to three knots, or in other words, achieves the same cruising or top speed for about 65 per cent of the power, with corresponding savings in fuel consumption”, adds Lewis.

While the design remains simplistic in terms of its aesthetics, this platform is devised to offer a customisable aspect, in terms of the stylistic details of the project.

Laurent Giles is not aiming to compete with leading superyacht designers with this conceptual design. However, the studio is very much taking an approach to conceptual design that is wholly founded on robust naval architecture.

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