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Meet the finalists of the 2022 Young Designer of the Year Award

27 January 2022 • Written by Holly Overton

BOAT International is proud to reveal the finalists of the 2022 Young Designer of the Year Award, in association with Oceanco

This year’s pool of aspiring young designers were given a task that allowed for greater freedom and creativity than in previous years. The brief required a high-tech and environmentally-friendly design for a 65 metre motor yacht already under construction at Oceanco. Participating designers were provided with an interview that details the lifestyle and cruising plans of its new owner; the design itself was left fully open to interpretation. 

Inception - a technical platform with engineering architecture intended to offer greater creative flexibility to the industry's design community was also kindly provided by Lateral Naval Architects to the young designers.  Inceptions aim is for engineering to enable designers to challenge the paradigm of layouts which are frequently constrained by technical arrangements.

After receiving and assessing the entries, the Young Designer of the Year Award judges have chosen the top six designs...

Andrés Otano Alonso

Concept Name: Magari
Nationality: Spanish
Education: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

The designer’s vision: "Magari, is an Italian word that expresses the will of a desire or a total commitment to something that is difficult to achieve. The 65 metre superyacht is designed so that on the outside, inspired by the world of motor vehicles, the aesthetics are fast and fluid. The interior, meanwhile, seeks to create open spaces with large windows, rooms that flow with each other and biophilic designs inspired by modern architecture.

"Guests are hosted on the upper deck, enjoying privileged 270-degree views, with large surrounding windows and a terrace open to the sea. On the main deck, the fluid design blurs the inside-outside relationship with open and varied spaces to have dinners, relax with friends, dance parties, etc. The central garden, made up of rock and vegetable textures, serves as a skylight for the lower level; it serves as a vertical axis of communication between decks. On the lower deck, the owners' cabin is located, with a custom music studio and gaming setup."

Ignacio Bourgon

Concept Name: AIR  
Nationality: Spain  
Education: Politecnico di Milano

The designer’s vision: “Air was named after its association to life, breath and pureness. The exterior styling follows the idea with clean and minimal shapes. Its colours, lines, and the use of tinted glass are meant to fade some elements creating a single volume effect and by consequence, a more recognisable and iconic boat.

“One key feature is the owner’s private garden and the wide beach club – inspired by the Travertines of Pamukkale – containing a multilevel pool with a waterfall, a bar, a spa and a fitness centre. Another area of note is the dining saloon, where glass walls can open and transform into an “al fresco” ambience, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor space by extending to a wide outdoor deck. In addition to solar panels and a vegetable garden, Air also includes some innovative environmental features such as a digital ceiling that anticipates lighting needs and a glass foiling technology capable of controlling solar heat gain, reducing carbon emissions. Overall, Air offers an oasis of physical and mental well-being while encouraging environmental awareness.”

Ioana Valentina Corcodel

Concept Name: Ophelia  
Nationality: Romanian  
Education: Politecnico di Milano

The designer’s vision: “Ophelia is inspired by functional architecture. The exterior is minimal and leaves space for the eco-friendly features of the vessel. Ophelia is endowed with plenty of solar cells spread on all the flat surfaces available for maximum efficiency. One of the key points of the vessel is the kinetic solar panels on the side windows, programmed to open and close depending on the sun radiation, offering a comfortable environment inside during the entire day without the usage of electric power.

“As you enter the boat you see the dancefloor of the main saloon leading to the bar, surrounded by semi-private lounge areas. The second key point of the concept is the energy dancefloor, split into panels that generate energy from the simple movement of the guests. Although the design of the yacht is driven by the sustainability component, the client’s desire for a functional and efficient layout was not forgotten. The areas are designed on the vertical axis instead of the classic horizontal with open spaces similar to indoor atriums. The interior's warm tones in combination with the garden spaces give the interior a very natural sense in connection with the outside.”

Filippo Corradi

Concept Name: Castle  
Nationality: Italy  
Education: Università di Genova

The designer’s vision: “Castle was born from the urgent need for an ecological transition in the world of yachts and tries to make the most of renewable energy with a focus on the sun. The project was inspired by the solar towers of California and a similar technology has been absorbed into this design in the form of a solar concentrator, which dictated the external forms of the concept. The solar tower had to be placed high up and sheltered in case of bad weather, but more importantly, it had to integrate better with the profile.

“The exterior also features “towers” which served as inspiration for its name but also as inspiration for the layout. The interior features a number of spiral staircases which give the environment a feeling of elegance and a sense of elevation by connecting several rooms at the same time and separating the routes on board. The owner can therefore access various rooms in absolute privacy. Even guests, in complete privacy, have direct access to the stern beach. While the interior takes inspiration from castles the concept as a whole has been revisited in a modern style.”

Rahmet Diko Edfi

Concept Name: Amadeus X  
Nationality: Indonesia  
Education: Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember

The designer’s vision: "The name is inspired by the middle name of the Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which means "love of God", derived from Latin Amare "to love" and Deus "God". In harmony with the characteristics of Mozart's musical compositions, this yacht is designed with an emphasis on elegance and balance - the balance between interior and exterior areas that support the owner's desire for enjoyment while on board.

“The concept is equipped with various areas for fun such as a gaming room, billiard room, and pool party area which can also be used as an area to hold private parties when the ship is offboarded. Designed to be eco-friendly, the Amadeus X has many solar panels/solar arrays installed on each of its open deck roofs. Amadeus X hopes to provide inspired emotions and a sense of comfort to the owner so that he can generate brilliant new business ideas in the future."

Martijn van Dort

Concept Name: Helios  
Nationality: Dutch  
Education: Rotterdam Mainport Institute

The designer’s vision: "Helios is named after the Greek god of the sun because the yacht uses solar energy to support the owner’s environmental aspirations. The yacht is equipped with a number of solar mechanisms consisting of solar glass and panels. The exterior colour scheme provides a stylish incorporation of the solar panels into the design and complements the dynamic exterior lines. The solar panels are equipped with a heat exchanger to maximise efficiency and to store the thermal energy in the thermal storage. These sustainable features support the diesel-electric propulsion system and the owner’s requirements.

“The advanced propulsion system enabled a unique layout locating a full-beam two-deck owner’s cabin midships resulting in comfort during passage-making with a good connection to the surroundings. This is complemented by a beach house styling using natural materials, colours and textures. Another unique location is the dining area forward on the upper deck featuring a sliding platform to enable interior and exterior dining with excellent views. Other facilities include a spa, gym, cinema, library, indoor and outdoor lounges and various toys such as a landing craft, RIBs, ATVs, off-road motorbikes, sailing dinghies and water toys.”

The winner of the 2022 Young Designer of the Year Award will be announced at the BOAT International Design & Innovation Awards taking place as part of the Superyacht Design Festival in Milan on June 22-24, 2022. Tickets and more information are available here.

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