A Brazilian house on the water? That was the design brief that Vripack received on behalf of a Latin American client. The result is Casa, measuring 137’5” (41.9 meters). Casa embraces typical Brazilian home architecture along with increasingly popular global design trends that Vripack has identified.
Interesting enough, the only really specific directive of the owner was that Casa had to look like a typical Brazilian home—not just inside, but outside, too. So, Vripack got down to research. Homes in this Latin American region often have a breezeway through the structure. This allows families to gather outside while protected from the sometimes scorching heat. Brazilian homes also have open layouts inside.
Casa fulfills these architectural elements in two ways likely never seen on a megayacht—or even a smaller yacht. Look closely at the rendering above. You’ll see that Vripack included an open middeck area one level up from the main deck. The rendering below gives you a better sense of the feeling inside the 27’6”-beam (8.4-meter-beam)breezeway.
De Vries uses a Latin term to describe the breezeway aboard Casa. It’s hortus, meaning garden or, more definitively, enclosed garden. “We basically shifted the traditional sky lounge backwards, creating a full glass observatory,” he explains. “In front of that we placed the Hortus.” Even with partial glass walls, the breezeway remains open. Furthermore, it can be cooled or heated, suitable regardless of weather. “But better yet, while sailing or at anchor, you can be safe with the kids in the elements, thus experiencing the great outdoors as never before,” de Vries says.
The elements will certainly be encountered by Casa. Why? The owner and his family are “active adventurers,” according to Robin de Vries, one of Vripack’s designers. “The owner is in a time of his life where his children are old enough and his parents are young enough to join him on voyages.” The three generations will enjoy globetrotting for a good two years aboard Casa, in warm- and cold-weather destinations alike.
To further create Casa, Vripack designed a one-and-a-half-deck-high lounge—what the studio calls a welcome lounge—fully aft. This loft-like arrangement is also typical of Brazilian houses. Its glass enclosure reflects the trend of transparency that Vripack has identified. Another trend, the natural world, is incorporated as well. The deck features leaf patterns, for example.
Traditional yachting features are still aboard Casa, of course. Two VIP staterooms lie just forward of the welcome lounge on the main deck. This way, older family members don’t have to navigate stairs. The lounge itself is devoid of clutter for the same reason. It’s further open to allow the young kids to play (even ride tricycles), or to stow tenders. Two kids’ cabins are below decks, directly connected to the parents’ stateroom. Casa is further arranged so that these three rooms can become one big family suite.
No word yet on which builder may bring Casa to fruition. Regardless, Vripack has already determined her performance parameters. This globetrotter is expected to cruise at 10 knots under Caterpillar power.
Marnix Hoekstra, a Vripack director, sums up the experience so far this way: “We have a tremendous amount of experience in modern explorers, but it’s the new degree of contemporary architecture in this concept that’s so exciting for us.”
BONUS IMAGES: See our exclusive Gallery on Casa.
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