Sanlorenzo 74 Steel Yacht Virtuosity Grows Around a Living Tree

The second Sanlorenzo 74 Steel yacht Virtuosity splashed this weekend, and with her several ideas debut to challenge what large-yacht spaces can be. Rather than treating the 243-footer (74-meter) simply as a larger platform for amenities, the owner, designers, and shipyard spent more than four years developing her around nature and wellness.

According to Sanlorenzo, the owner and shipyard held weekly conversations for about 18 months, well before design started, to define how life onboard should feel. Those conversations ultimately shaped several novel features. Specifically, a living tree rises through two decks, and an aquarium-like lounge is below the waterline. Additionally, the beach area is significantly larger, and a reflecting pool is part of the architecture.

Sanlorenzo yacht Virtuosity, 74 Steel hull 2

The most unusual feature is on the main deck, where a Ficus nitida, a fast-growing tree, sprouts through an oval opening. The opening is about 172 square feet (16 square meters), with it and the tree visually connecting two decks (below). All design evolved from this tree, since the owner selected it before construction began. Both the build and design teams read up on its growing patterns and needs to ensure “planting” would work, too. Two skylights in the main deck ensure the lower portions of the tree get sunlight. Two floor-level skylights above the tree, meanwhile, channel daylight downward. Of course, the sunlight also augments the atmosphere of the surrounding interior.

On the lower deck, the Sanlorenzo yacht Virtuosity (not to be confused by another yacht from a different builder having the same name) expands the beach area into what Sanlorenzo calls an Ocean Resort. Extending about 59 feet (18 meters) from the beach platform to the first bulkhead, it exceeds 2,475 square feet (230 square meters). The shipyard says this makes it about 40 percent larger than the equivalent area aboard the first 74 Steel megayacht. Fold-down platforms and a walkaround arrangement keep the space open to the sea, as you might expect. A 301-square-foot (28-square-meter) glass-bottom pool sits aft. By day, the area is watertoy central, while by night, it’s a club-like setting with a DJ booth.

The Sanlorenzo yacht Virtuosity has one of her most distinctive wellness features forward of here. In fact, it’s beyond the spa, which includes a hammam, sauna, massage room, cryotherapy space, and posarium. The owner wanted a partially submerged lounge for underwater views from inside the superyacht (below). The idea of the 377-square-foot (35-square-meter) area is to allow guests to sit and mindfully contemplate the sea.

Even the owner’s deck involves wellness. Instead of a typical swimming pool, the owner requested a reflecting pool. The shallow sheet of water amplifies the sky and light and is visible from inside the suite. Notably, removable seating and a multifunctional platform allow the reflecting pool area to adapt. Amplifying the wellness quotient, a sensory shower sits between the alfresco area and interior. Overall, about 1,507 square feet (140 square meters) of private space spans this deck. Another pool on the sundeck is for guests’ enjoyment, in proximity to relaxed dining and conversation areas.

Throughout the interior of the yacht Virtuosity, Studio Paolo Ferrari leverages continuous surfaces, light tones, and literal light. For instance, another owner’s suite on the main deck has opening glass. Custom furnishings invite guests to sit and enjoy closer-up looks at the tree, without crowding it. Furthermore, a triple-height lobby rises in another area of Virtuosity. For architectural and, arguably, artistic interest, a dark-lacquered aluminum spiral stairway and elevator rise through it. Finally, a 452-square-foot (42-square-meter) winter garden reimagines the bridge deck.

Although Sanlorenzo used the same engineering platform as the first 74 Steel superyacht, “we chose to rethink onboard architecture from its very foundations,” Tommaso Vincenzi, Sanlorenzo’s CEO, says. “From the integration of living nature to the transformation of technical volumes into experiential environments, every choice stems from a clear architectural vision.”

Sanlorenzo sanlorenzoyacht.com

Studio Paolo Ferrari paoloferrari.com

Zuccon International Project zucconinternationalproject.com