Norman Foster’s yacht
The architect presents Ocean Emerald
Emerald green jacket and grass green tie, fantasy-designed white shirt: this is how Norman Foster “projected” on himself one of the main characteristics of Ocean Emerald the first boat by Yacht Plus – society that launched the concept of nautical time-sharing projected by Mr Foster with great attention to design and environment. During the event on 25th April at Porto Lotti, in La Spezia, joined by all the protagonists of the project, the green boat was presented and the key characteristics of the program were disclosed.
The yacht stood out among the others at the harbour and distinguished itself thanks to its peculiar coloration, thanks to the silhouette that recalls that of dolphins and thanks to details such as two lateral stairs that link the two floors of the boat.
Ocean Emerald is the first of four identical yachts that will be launched within the coming two years, all currently under construction at the Italian shipyard Rodriquez Cantieri Navali. The colour, a very particular shade of grey, created by Boero exclusively for Yacht Plus, makes the yacht get confused with the sea if the day is not a sunny one. The 41-metre boat was projected to emphasize space and light. It features five suites, hosting maximum twelve guests that will be attended by a fixed seven-people staff. Particular attention is dedicated to details and materials: fake leather, corian ceilings and bleached oak, Cassina furnishing and Schiffini kitchens. The focus is in fact on design and the care for environment and for a low pollution impact.
Lord Foster explains the birth of the project: “The idea was to create a luxury yacht, able, for the first time, to re-invent internal and external spaces. Illumination was especially taken care of both for day and night. I also ideated a sharing area as well as a privacy one. This is a developed concept of yacht, particularly focusing on design, with the aim to create a lifestyle site as if you were staying in a luxury hotel. We did not miss out details regarding safety”.
How did you find yourself working in the nautical field?
“The project was just a dream, an idea. It was something I had in mind, in terms of design, of architecture, of technology. The first challenges hit us when it came to put concepts into practice. I had already worked for other boats, but this project is so totally mine that expectations stood very high. I curated the interior as well as the many other details of the boat. The design gets inspiration from lifestyle, luxury and private jets realities. The project was realized in collaboration with NetJets”.
Where did you get inspiration from for the shapes of Ocean Emerald?
“I was inspired by the shapes of nature, as it often happens in other fields too, from the automotive to architecture. Many see in it a dolphin. The centre of gravity was moved to the centre of the boat. I particularly focused my attention on illumination, also thanks to a glass spiral staircase built in such a way to allow light to get through”.
Why were the boats identically realized?
“The boats were ideated to be identical to be later differently personalized. Personalization in fact occurs every time the owner gets on board. The boat was conceived to be flexible to different configurations. If there would have been different models, clients would have chosen between a preferred model and a non-preferred one”.
Will you work again on the project of a yacht?
“I had already drawn projects in the past, but to face a blank page or a blank screen and to free the mind starting all over with a new project is something extremely exciting. It was very enthusiastic to work in the nautical field. If I were to be asked again, why not?”
What would you like to project in the future?
“If there’s a good project, it’s be interesting to test new areas that I have never tested before”.
How do you face the financial crisis?
“Any challenging moments push us to be more efficient, to do more with less”.
Andrea Pezzini, General Manager of Floating Life, Switzerland based society that will handle the management of Yacht Plus, explained in detail the time-sharing project. “Every boat has eight clients, each stays on boats a month per year, in the Mediterranean Sea or in the Caribbean, according to the preferred location. Each boat will have its own geographic area. Each client, throughout the stay on board is completely taken care of: we organize the trip to detail, from pictures of personal belongings, from the rotation of the staff to the cleaning shifts, from the creation of a luggage set conceived to make comfortable the different stages of the trip: from home to the yacht”.
Caterina Varpi
Luxury Representatives, People And Brand, Sailboats, Yachts,
Tags: Norman Foster, time-sharing, Yacht Plus
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