For the past three years, Condé Nast Traveller has celebrated interesting and innovative designs in a variety of fields, from gadgets to aviation, even ones focused on environmental sustainability. The reason: The experience of travel is eased and enhanced by original thinking. This year’s nominees for Condé Nast Traveller’s Innovation and Design Awards include three megayacht projects, spread over two different categories.
In the Leisure category, there’s the Perini Navi-built Panthalassa and the WHY 58×38 from Wally Hermès Yachts. The remaining yacht is the sole superyacht in the Sustainable category: Soliloquy, the now-famed super-green superyacht concept project from Alastair Callender.
The Condé Nast judges nominated Panthalassa because they find her to be “the ultimate in sleek and super modern,” thanks to her Foster + Partners interior design. The all-aluminum, 56-meter (184-foot) ketch puts a significant emphasis on natural light. Skylights let it spill down through the three decks, for example. An oval staircase connecting the same three decks is surrounded by light-reflecting acrylic rods (see above), further introducing daylight in living areas. Moving the staterooms’ storage areas toward centerline instead of flushing them outboard helped enhance the views, allowing for more ports. Also worth noting: The designers set up each stateroom so that the curvature of the superstructure can be better appreciated.
Regarding the WHY 58×38, the judges made an amusing comment about the look: “a shape reminiscent of a wad of £50 notes folded in half.” Be that as it may, the wedge-like hull is an adaptation of a Ramform hull, a design reportedly first used by the Norwegian navy in 1993. The concept project also calls an abundance of natural light inside, thanks to an all-glass house and roof panels that can pivot like Venetian blinds, as demonstrated above.
As for Soliloquy, seen below, Callender envisioned an eco-friendly megayacht featuring currently available technology, notably solarsails produced by the Australian company Solar Sailor. Its solarsails have proven time and time again to effectively harness solar and wind energy for ferries and other vessels. Solar Sailor’s team and Callender determined that Soliloquy would be capable of speeds to 8 knots powered only by solar energy. This, in turn, would make her emission-free and lower in cost to operate.
There’s stiff competition for each of theses megayacht projects in their respective categories, so vote early, and vote often. But you can only do so through this Friday. Visit the Condé Nast Traveller website to cast yours. Winners will be announced by the magazine in May.
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