In association with Oceanco, the 2021 Young Designer of the Year Award attracted the most talented collection of designs ever submitted for this competition.
Set against a background of the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s task was intentionally tough, requiring entrants to create the general arrangement plans, exterior styling and an interior design proposal for a go-anywhere expedition yacht whose owner had specified a strict set of parameters.
Despite the difficulty of the task, the judges were taken aback by the extremely high quality of the designs submitted by entrants from over 24 different countries.
After an intensive virtual judging meeting attended by many of the world’s leading yacht designers, the six finalists were eventually chosen following hours of deliberation and debate interspersed by three separate secret ballots that, in succession, refined the numbers to six finalists. Selecting a winner from among these six finalists was a particularly difficult task for the judges, but following further discussion and one final secret ballot, the entry submitted by Ana Čeović was selected as the winner.
Ana Čeović, from Zagreb in Croatia, took a degree course in Transportation Design at the European Institute of Design in Turin and followed this with unpaid internships at Luca Dini Design in Florence and Philippe Briand Design in London. She then went on to study Yacht Design at the Politechnico di Milano, where she graduated with a Master’s Degree in 2020.
The judges considered that Čeović’s design not only met the requirements of the task document, but also demonstrated her ability to create a workable, precisely-drawn general arrangement plan, stylish-yet-practical exterior lines, and an interior design proposal that were all well suited to the rugged and capable expedition yacht that the project owner required. Additionally, the judges felt that she showed excellent ability at hand sketching, a skill that, even for these days of digital design, they still consider vital. They offer their congratulations to a worthy winner.
BOAT International Media would like to thank long term partner Oceanco for their continued support.
Statement from designer Ana Čeović on Project Phoenix
Project Phoenix is a design for an expedition yacht.
The thought behind this design was to accomplish a balance between functionality, comfort and elegance.
The owner’s objective is to explore Northern seas/shores. To contrast the cold landscapes, as well as its functional robust exterior, the interior of the yacht is warm, designed with mostly natural materials and lots of wooden surfaces, giving it a sauna-like feeling.
The living area/saloon is a large open space with a frameless glass wall visually extending the interior outdoors, while providing protection against outdoor conditions. To fully translate the comfort of an interior, the design includes a fireplace.
Expedition yachts do not usually require a lot of open deck space – however, in the past year we have all come to know enclosed spaces too well, thus recognising the value of open ones. For that reason, the yacht is designed to have some open space on every deck, including a private terrace for the owner’s cabin.
Additionally, the sun deck design includes a glasshouse bar, a Jacuzzi and a sunbathing area, providing yet another option for the owner and their guests to enjoy the outdoors to the fullest without compromising comfort.