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This year Design & Innovation Awards were held in person in Milan on 22 June. Al Waab scoops triple win. Coming in just below the 500 gross-tonnage mark, despite a generous length of 55m, Vripack-designed Al Waab, built by Alia Yachts, scooping ‘Outstanding Exterior Design, Motor Yachts 40m to 59.9m’, ‘Best Interior Design, Motor Yachts 499GT and Below’ and ‘Best Naval Architecture, Displacement Motor Yachts’, the judges singled Al Waab out for her holistic interior, exterior and naval architecture. It’s a design approach that Vripack has long championed and places Al Waab at the forefront of yacht design.“Al Waab pulled ahead as a solid, smart design that’s slightly more efficient than its fellow nominees,” commented the judges. “Further tipping the balance in her favor was the holistic element of her naval architecture, exterior styling and interior arrangement.”Commenting on the awards wins, Vripack’s co-creative director Bart M. Bouwhuis, says: “Since 1961, Vripack’s design ethos has been underpinned by our holistic vision. Creating world-class interior and exterior designs that are conceived with expert naval architecture in mind not only delivers a yacht that comprehensively answers an owner’s brief, but one that gains worldwide industry recognition too.” Al Waab was delivered in 2021 for an owner, represented by SF Yachts, who sought a family home at sea. Despite her generous volume and a top speed of 13.5-14 knots, Al Waab’s twin Caterpillar C18 (725hp/533 kW) diesel engines burn 35% less fuel than similar-sized yachts. The Dutch design firm Vripack’s expertise comes to the fore with an optimized interior that accommodates a split-level master suite forward, six large cabins and a glass-walled convertible gym-cabin aft. Key design features include multiple drop-down terraces – with two in the master suite – a luminous glass staircase that connects the three decks, and a ‘breakfast nook’ where the family can share a convivial morning meal together. On the exterior, 286 sq. m of deck space gives a life outdoors. Inside, a natural, muted color scheme is accented with eye-catching details, such as a glittering gold-studded acrylic bulkhead, floor-to-ceiling windows and the advanced use of indirect lighting to seamlessly transition the yacht interior from day to night mode.Alia Yachts was founded in 2008 by Gokhan Çelik and Omer Koray. Located in the port of Antalya on the beautiful Turkish Riviera, Alia Yachts shipyard currently occupies approximately 8,000 sq. m, including three construction halls with their suites of specialist workshops and a dedicated interiors facility. With an additional 16,000 sq. m under development for 2019, Alia Yachts will rank among the top facilities in the region.​​Vripack is a yacht-design studio with a portfolio that represents over 7400 designs, made strong through its extensive naval architecture and engineering experience. From the moment they opened their doors in 1961, Vripack studio’s approach to design has been governed by the playful interaction between form and function.Credits: Vripack

The design of MAKO with its silver colour and fluid exterior lines has been inspired by the Mako species of shark. Mako will be powered by a propulsion system that combines hydrogen, fuel cells and electric engines to be able to operate with a zero-carbon footprint. You will also be able to find battery storage system and solar panels which contribute to the yacht’s sustainable design.A key feature of Mako is a wide beach club platform for sports and activities with an aft garage door nearby for tender storage and manoeuvres. The wraparound aft deck also features a large seating area conceived as a soft “island” sunken into the teak aft deck that offers 270-degree views.Another main interior area is the "pavilion". Situated above the top deck, this space is intended to be used as an observatory, panoramic lounge, fitness studio or yoga space. Further inside the yacht is the "studio", where a double-height ceiling and large windows provide uninterrupted views and a greater connection to the sun, sea and sky and not only.State of Craft is now branching out into the superyacht industry with MAKO being its first nautical design.Credits: State of Craft

Nauta Design has been at the leading edge of a four-year project that ended on 23 June with the proud launch of the first ever ClubSwan 80 racer. As well as kickstarting a new one-design class, the rocket ship is the fifth incarnation of Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s famous My Song.It marks 35 years of collaboration between Nauta Design and this dedicated owner. But it is the first time that Nauta and Nautor’s Swan have worked together. The Finnish boat builder coordinated the project with Juan Kouyoumdjian on the naval architecture, Nauta for the interior and cockpit design and Persico Marine as build partner.Exposed carbon fibre, wafer-thin mahogany veneer and artful lighting will turn the first ClubSwan 80 yacht into a super stylish cruiser. The brief for Milan’s Nauta Design studio was to give a thoroughbred one-design racer a second character as daysailer and a super sporty cruiser. It was a fascinating project from the off, with the client intent on establishing the best approach for an 80ft racing monohull. The final choice went for a canting keel and a forward rotating canard that would provide the best compromise between performance and usability. This evolved into the ClubSwan 80 one design, where the goal is to recruit further owners to develop a competitive racing circuit.“The priority was speed, performance and fun, but the owner always likes to be able to use the yacht for a cruise with the family or with friends as well,” explained Nauta co-founder Mario Pedol. “He wanted to have good performance upwind as well as downwind - a rocket in both directions. After all, the first round the upwind mark has the advantage.”Once the key design features had been established, Persico Marine was selected to build the high-tech carbon fibre hull and structures, cleverly engineered by Pure Design & Engineering. The second stage of the challenge for Nauta was to design an interior for this first yacht which took nothing away from the purity of the racing experience, while adding some welcome finesse and comfort for cruising with the family. “We turned technology into elegance, thanks to Pigi’s inputs – inside it is all carbon,” says Pedol. “We worked in the base comforts for permitting cruising use of the boat: fridge, galley, some sort of aircon and showers.”The solution was to create a modular interior that drew on lightweight furniture and fabric bags that could be quickly and easily detached and taken ashore. Almost all the interior elements can be removed, from the gimbled oven and saloon tables to the carbon-fibre toilets in the three bathrooms. Just the bench seats in the saloon are built in, serving a structural purpose and doubling as watch berths when racing offshore. Even the simple aircon system is removable.The king size bed in the master cabin can be split in two then flipped to create a twin cabin. The bed here, as in the aft cabins, can be quickly unfastened and removed entirely for racing. Lighting was a major part of the design, which includes spot lighting and about 100 m of LED strings, mostly concealed inside the removable furnishings. In total it added just 4.5kg to the boat, after Nauta conducted a detailed analysis of the impact of different wattages. “Lighting was a massive topic on this boat,” says Martino Majno, sales and project manager. “Being a black hull, we’ve really played with three separate levels of lighting, starting with those needed just for racing, with discrete red lighting for night racing. For cruising, there are longitudinal indirect rope lights. We also played with functional, architectural lighting – focused on some specific areas.” “Mahogany veneer is used sparingly around spotlights and in strips throughout the accommodation to provide a touch of elegance, and a welcome gleam that contrasts with the carbon fibre. “Mahogany highlights are one of the client’s signatures,” says Pedol. “The boat also showcases laminated linen counters and tables – where flax fibres are laminated into resin”. Pedol says of the design: “It has been a real four-way project with our great friend Pigi. Since 1986 and our first My Song design, we have shared the love for both racing and enjoying life at sea in general!”Nautor’s Swan was founded in 1966 in Pietarsaari, Finland. The builder entered the superyacht market in 1999. Since then, the yard has continued building high-performance sailing yachts in three different lines; ClubSwan, Swan Yachts and Maxi Swan Yachts.Credits: Nauta Design

The Austrian-owned Silent-Yachts continues to grow. Following the news that the brand has been restructured as Silent Group, it was announced that it is now the sole shareholder of its Italian production site. Silent-Yachts has acquired a new-build facility in Fano on Italy’s Adriatic coast comprising several modern, well-equipped hangars for the building and outfitting of the Silent 60 series and Silent 80 series models. The site includes five construction sheds with 22,000 sq. m of covered space and a similar exterior surface area.Silent 80 under construction at Fano facility The new range of electric Silent-Tenders will also be produced at the Fano facility, which includes an Innovation Center for researching and developing new models, technologies and solutions."Our acquisition of the facility in Fano is a great opportunity for the city and for the nautical sector in the area,” says Michael Köhler, CEO of Silent-Yachts. “In 2022 we will employ approximately 250 people, both directly and indirectly, and we have expansion plans already under discussion to increase the production capacity of our sites and acquire new ones."Silent-Yachts is producing the world’s first fully solar-sustainable oceangoing production catamaran yachts. They are powered exclusively by solar energy and capable of cruising up to 100 miles per day. In 2009, founders Heike and Michael Köhler, who have spent 6,000 days cruising more than 75,000 miles all around the world, launched the Solarwave 46, the first fully self-sufficient blue-water catamaran after years of testing solar-powered propulsion, and they have been building boats ever since. Credits: Alessandro Guerrieri/Silent-Yachts

After the success of 38m Emocean, the Ravenna-based shipyard Rosetti Superyachts "relaunches" with RSY 40m EXP, a Hydro Tec project which bears the signature of Luxury Living Group in interior design and décor. The Luxury Living Group has been a leader in four continents for 40 years in the design, production and distribution of luxury furniture for some of the most important international brands: Versace, Dolce&Gabbana, Trussardi, Bentley Motors and Bugatti, in addition to its own brand Luxence Luxury Living.RSY 40m EXPFor the RSY 40m EXP, Rosetti Superyachts has also chosen to present the client with a considerably defined interior design proposal.Main saloon "The collaboration with Luxury Living Group stems from our desire to present a project such as the 40m EXP in a different way, already proposing an elegant and modern furnishing solution developed with a company that has made luxury and custom-designed furniture its hallmark. The 40m EXP gives us the opportunity to explore some features already glimpsed in the 38m EXP and to offer them in different solutions on the interiors as well, with customisation tips which can clearly be adjusted to the client's needs," said Andrea Giora, sales & marketing Director of RSY.Exterior The new explorer has already been proven by the 38m EXP's naval platform, and an optimal bow section and a longer, flatter and relatively drystern. The yacht combines the excellent qualities of an explorer (cruising range of more than 5,000 nautical miles at a speed of 10 knots, considerable fuel and water tank capacities as well as galley and storage), with the exquisite elegance and taste.After having carefully studied the characteristics of the RSY 40m EXP, Luxury Living Group opted for a décor of rare elegance where the keyword is consistency: both in terms of loose furniture (with items selected from all LLG collections) and in terms of fabrics, essences and metals. A neutral and restful palette prevails on board "lit up" by touches of color that warm the environment and liven it up, allowing the owner or decorator to customize it as desired.Main saloonThe main saloon is striking for its brightness, accentuated by the play of reflections on the ceiling mirror: the white "cloud" of the walls, the sofa and the large dining table with a Carrara marble top is warmed by the metal finishes (a leitmotif we will find throughout the yacht), by the marble or bronze coffee tables, the lamps and the delightful dining chairs, which, like the poufs, come in the particular tones of acid yellow to liven up the ambient.Owner suiteIn the owner's suite neutral dove-grey colors prevail, warmed by flashes of cognac, blue and the sculptural movement of the wall which, from the head of the bed, extends to the ceiling. Highly refined are the dark wood vanity and the iconic Kingston armchair by Bentley Home.Owner suiteThe lounge on the bridge deck, responding to the same pursuit of contrast between neutral tones and color and texture, offers a cozy modular sofa from the Trussardi Casa line that lights up with touches of blue to complement the D&G Casa armchairs in their Mediterranean blue theme. The finishing touches added to this space are the accessories and decorations that match the ones in the main saloon.Sky loungeThe bridge deck in its outdoor version is enhanced with unique furniture from the Stiletto line by Versace Home presented at the Salone del Mobile 2022, decorated with a jungle pattern."It is a pleasure to collaborate with a shipyard as young and full of potential as Rosetti Superyachts, which received some important recognition awards from the nautical world this year in London and last year in Cannes,” commented Andrea Gentilini, CEO of Luxury Living Group. Rosetti, evolution of Rosetti Menotti, was established in 1925, and they're a global leader in both the engineering and construction of on-shore and off-shore plants, as well as a wide range of commercial ships ranging from ocean-going tugs and platform supply vessels to passenger ferries equipped with state-of-the-art equipment for propulsion, automation, navigational aids and control systems. Credits: Rosetti Superyachts