SUPERYACHT
vessel. “We do not live in a linear world,”
he says. “The world is in balance; our
earth and its ecology act as a coordinated
system to maintain the balance of nature
and a state of equilibrium. A small
change in a seemingly benign parameter
is balanced out by another to ensure
the complex system remains in balance.
Project ‘Balance’ is a yacht with a natural
balance of proportion, form and space –
achieved by taking inspiration from the
laws of nature and asking new questions.”
Engineering Designer asked James
Roy, Yacht Design director, Commercial
Shipping at BMT (of which Lateral Naval
Architects is a subsidiary), for his input on
speci c aspects of the yacht’s design:
ED: How was the design process
managed and developed?
James Roy: ‘Balance’ is a speculative
design and engineering project. As such,
the boundaries of time and process are
freer than they are normally with a realworld
project that has to operate within
commercial and time constraints. This
freedom brings greater opportunity to
explore new design avenues, experiment
and innovate. Ultimately, this project was
very much about collaboration between
ourselves as the naval architect; SINOT as
the creative design team; and Oceanco as
the shipyard.
ED: What was the initial ‘brief’ behind
this and how did it evolve from there?
JR: ‘Balance’ did not start with a
traditional design brief, but was rather
a culmination of a number of design and
engineering ideas and technical narratives
that were being developed both on paper
and on real projects. The underlying
technical platform is derived from a 109m
yacht to our naval architecture. The key
narrative behind ‘Balance’ is a question:
“How can the application of technology
achieve a more effective and
balanced use of technical
and luxury space?”
ED: What design challenges
were encountered and
overcome along the way?
JR: A key challenge on
any yacht project is to
maximise the area available
to the owner, whilst making
other areas functional and
serviceable. The technology
behind the single tier engine room design
has enabled that to be achieved.
ED: What materials were used in the
construction and why those in particular?
JR: The design would use a steel hull
and aluminium superstructure. These
are common materials in superyacht
construction of this size, because they
provide the optimum balance of strength
versus stiffness and robustness.
ED: How long was the design phase?
JR: On a speculative design, the design
timeline is elongated, as there are no
commercial pressures, so the design
evolves at a natural pace, rather than
being forced into a particular processdriven
timescale.
ED: When was it completed?
JR: Everything came together in time for
us to release the design at the Monaco
Yacht Show last year https://www.
monacoyachtshow.com/en/.
And now the big question – who tends
to buy something of this scale and
sophistication? Says Roy: “Superyacht
customers are ultimately UHNWIs Ultra
High Net Worth Individuals who are
seeking to make an investment that will
enable them to explore the world, enjoy
time with their family or just make a
statement. There are many reasons why
owners buy a yacht and every one of them
is unique. When one looks at the cost of
a superyacht relative to any other luxury
purchase, be that an aircraft, real estate
or anything else, then a superyacht is the
mother of all luxury purchases.”
According to a report by global media
company Forbes (which puts together the
annual statistics on current billionaires),
a 100-metre superyacht with a top speed
of 25 knots and 50 crew members would
cost around $275 million on average.
Considering the 30 largest superyachts
are all longer than 100 metres, they
can often cost signi cantly more. At
102 metres long, some of the buyers
interested in Project Balance might well
be part of that rich list.
The 102-metre Project
‘Balance’ is said to deliver
a design that operates in a
‘virtuous circle’: less weight,
less power, less technical
space.
Project ‘Balance’ is described
as a yacht with a natural
balance of proportion, form
and space.
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