De Basto Design, the studio of designer Luiz De Basto, has presented a 92-metre superyacht concept with a first-of-its-kind illusion superstructure.
The design concept is rooted in the Mediterranean lifestyle and characterised by a reflective, near-floating superstructure and an entirely open main deck, called the Agora deck. The name derives from Ancient Greece and refers to a public square or marketplace that was used as a space to gather and socialise.
De Basto envisioned the main deck as an expansive, multi-purpose social space where guests can meet, dine and lounge, shaded by a polished glass superstructure that forms an optical illusion as it "floats" above the water and reflects its surroundings. The hull’s openings and windows are covered in serigraphy in the same colour as the hull, which makes them virtually invisible from the outside.
“I wanted to strip the profile of everything superfluous, leaving just the right number of elements to convey the concept,” Luiz de Basto said. “The flying superstructure volume touches the hull delicately, dissolving the main deck into a void space and leaving the Agora deck open.”
Inside the hull, below the Agora open deck, are two decks of private spaces with an open layout configuration.
While the design is conceptual, it has been rubber-stamped by the team at Lateral Naval Architects, who designed the structural lattice system for the superstructure so it can have a minimum footprint and rest on just four supports. De Basto added: “We are not interested in proposing an innovative profile only; we can make the design more conservative or modern, according to the owner's preference."
“We designed this project for people who are curious about life, people who are courageous and want to build their own space. For them, we have re-thought what it means to live on board instead of designing another conventional yacht and making it work," he added.