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Foster + Partners designs super-yacht
The fractional ownership super-yacht company YachtPlus launched its first yacht – The Ocean Emerald – in La Spezia, Italy on April 25 in the presence of Norman Foster.
This contemporary 41 metre yacht has been designed with a strong emphasis on space and light and has five suites for up to 12 guests, who will be looked after by a permanent, highly trained crew of seven. The internal planning of the yacht offers total flexibility to respond to the diverse requirements of the owners and their guests and keen attention has been paid to design and detail ranging from the internal (2,790sqft) and external (2,495sqft) areas to cutlery, crockery, fabrics and crew uniforms. All furnishings and fittings are provided by the Italian manufacturer Cassina and kitchen and galley equipment by Schiffini.
Ocean Emerald will be the first of four identical Foster + Partners designed super-yachts to be launched by the company over the next two years. The second yacht, Ocean Pearl will enter service in the autumn 2009 and the third, Ocean Sapphire in the early part of 2010. The fourth yacht, as yet unnamed, is scheduled to launch in the latter part of 2010.
More information here. More images, after the break.
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29 comments »
stick to buildings norman, this is terrifying!
disturbing… with such bad timing
Oi! … get those reflective-vest-wearing-riffraffs off my vessel. I really hated the design but now, I’m in two-minds. The model of the vessel looks good, OR, it’s very well shot. It does have an attractive behind (no, I’m not that way incline), and functionality too. The converging “beams” work from the tail-end but doesn’t at the meeting point. I suppose they add rigidity to the structure thus reducing the bulk. Unfortunately they give it a topside heavy look.
What’s wrong with it:-
1). The design was conceived in a modelling software, which often means that the design is not carefully examined from low angles (the true angle) for such an object.
2). Unless you spend most of your time in a heli, like old Normsky, where the views are always great.
3). In the real world, the light alters the “look” quite dramatically. Perhaps, the colour scheme should be more considered. Closer to the look of the modelled yacht.
4). The converging beams must be awful from the captain’s point of view.
5). I am not sure if the slipstream look has a bearing on making it more aerodynamically efficient. In open waters, cross winds prevail.
Anyhoo, that quite enough, since I do not know the first thing about boat designs. However, I would like to be the first to name the fourth yacht … Ocean 11/12/13 … as those are the likeliest characters to inhabit it. NOW, lordy lordy frosty, for my sins, can I please have the keys for a spin so that I can truly appreciate its loveliness?
Pimp my architecture by norman foster…got damn it…pick your jet and fly away for good…for mexico if possible
another new role for architects after recession???????
sweet. after a seriously long bout of out of control consumerism the global economic recession has, thankfully, allowed us to look deep and value what is truly important what design can do to make our world a better place. it is exactly this time that we as architects should grab the wheel and steer design in the direction of decency and necessity. and this is what F+P (with all their talent) has been spending their time doing?
thefuture sounds a bit like obama…but yes the time has come to get the rid of all these guys…foster,eiseneman,libskind,zaha hadid etc…in the same way one got rid of michael graves in 90’s…we need an architectural purge…
soon, foster will be designing fashion clothes and concept cars…
and what happened to the lord foster?! hey you man! architecture is waiting you here! dumbass!
But what makes our world a better place? One can get thousands of answers to such a simple question. As long as a dollar is a driving force behind literally EVERYTHING, the world will be deprived of common sense.
You have to imagine that this project was started well before its tastelessness and ill timing would over ripen into the PR disaster here displayed. Even, however, considering this just as a design project you have to ask yourself what on earth were they thinking?
The interiors look straight out of some minimalist Barbarella and the exterior defies description. This drags the prevailing tennis-shoe aesthetic of naval architecture straight into Gillette Mach III territory.
Terry Glenn Phipps
What’s the carbon footprint of this baby. Maybe it runs on a magnetic propulsion system, just like the Red Oktober.
Tubbs & Crockett would love this.
Foster designing mega expensive yachts, boy, how terribly fantastic!
On other news, the majority of people in the world can barely make it through the day!
Cheers, Sir Norman Foster!!
Does it come in recession red?
pretty sweet, although i’d love to know who’s on the sign-up list during this recession.
Recession or not – this is possible the ugliest thing i could have imagined a yacht looking like . Truly disgusting. Who has this much money but NO TASTE. Sink it, sink it, now preferably with norman on it.
Lord Frosty has too many people working for him.
He says: “design a boat or something, don’t care”
…not impressive…renzo piano was better
Love it. The primary motive of an architect, in my opinion, is to design. Feel free to design, folks.
When Piano was a young guy he designed a sailboat and built it from ferrocement. It was really a nice and seaworthy boat. here we have a really misunderstanding of hidrodinamic laws, a big and unncessary deck and “bridges” and an out of time bad design yacht. As an Foster fan, he need some days as a second deckhand at Ians FARR 40 before beginning this new career.
It’s nice! It looks like a dolphin… The interior is not so well…
Overall it’s nice!
The banallity of the lines is really pissing me off.
It looks like an evil starwars starship was compressed to deprive it of elegance and instead make it short and fat.
I am affraid it will sell well in the Emirates and Russia and other places where rich people have no taste.
Great yacht…very nice lines in profile of yacht….Back side also is very interesting…Perhaps, new concept in yacht design
great yacht! i love it! this is an example of how architect means to be a creator and designer… endless fields of desing possibilities not only for buildings keep your minds open!
Paula H.
Agree with you!
In the past…architect was artist, engineer, civil engineer….sculptor…
In the modern time, this work of Ser Norman Foster is example that architect could be very creative an effective in other design fields…like design of yachts …Great Michelangelo was architect, sculptor, artist….Leonardo Da Vinci…artist, scientist, inventor…
Remember that great architect like F.L.Wright, A. Alto, and many other from 20 century…are aslo been involved in design especialy furniture….
Cheers!:)
There is something wrong here….
Can’t quite put my finger on it…..Oh yes I see now –
this battleship does’nt have any canons not even guns……
If you would like to see some real yacht design – Wally
These guys have been doing for much longer than Mr. Foster and the designs are minimal and elegant.
it’s wonderfull
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