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Philippe Starck on the future of superyacht design, Elon Musk, and ‘saving the sea’

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Few designers have done more to re-shape the identity of the modern superyacht than the Frenchman Philippe Starck. Over the course of two decades, naval architecture and design has formed a considerable – if largely unseen – chunk of Starck’s consultancy work. His best-known boat was the late Steve Jobs’ impressive Venus, a sleek 79m superyacht built by Dutch yard Feadship.

Starck has also turned his hand to two monumental commissions, the 119m Motor Yacht A and 143m Sailing Yacht A, both owned by the self-made entrepreneur and industrialist Andrey Melnichenko. At this end of the market, clients rarely invite the world’s media into their grand saloons, so much of what we know about these boats comes from spy shots, yachting enthusiasts, rampant speculation and the occasional glittering spread in the specialist press. A keen yachtsman and boat-builder himself, the designer likes to explore new techniques and technologies on a small scale before ramping up to meet the demands of his clients. Wallpaper* spoke to Starck about the business of building boats, what drew him to the industry in the first place and what keeps his ideas afloat.

Portrait of  Philippe Starck . Photography: James Bort

W*: How did your first naval project come about? Philippe Starck: One day, a gentleman called me to ask if I could design a 120m yacht. My answer was yes. He said: ‘perfect’. When I asked him about the programme, he said: ‘Make what you want’. One month later, it was designed. He loved it. We did it. The owners are happy. W: What are the key differences between designing yachts and designing buildings? PS: Except for monuments, buildings have functions, they are useful, we hope at least. A yacht is not made to be useful, it is the ‘crystallisation’ of a childhood dream. The territory is not the same; it is a sentimental imagination built with the highest rigorist technology. It is a paradox. W*: What yachting innovations are you most proud of at Starck design? PS: My first job was to replace the vulgarity of the power of money by the elegance of intelligence and happiness. Afterwards, there was an interesting work about harmony with the sea, then I worked on the elegance of the religious minimum of invisibility and other high-tech inventions . W*: What is next in the future of yachts? Can you speak about any upcoming projects? PS: The future is electric and hydrogen for all sizes of boats, from 3m to 300m. I am ready to help Elon Musk to make the same revolution he made for cars but applied to boats. After saving the earth, now it’s time to save the sea. W: Does yacht design ever bring innovations that you can translate into products or buildings? PS: Absolutely and that’s also the reason why I design boats. A mega yacht is a free advanced technology laboratory which explores thousands of challenges. When they are won, they can be applied to everything.

Tenders for‘ Motor Yacht A’, designed by Philippe Starck, 2008. 

‘Motor Yacht A’, designed by Philippe Starck, 2008.

‘Venus’ Feadship, designed by Philippe Starck, for Steve Jobs, 2012

‘Sailing yacht A’, designed by Philippe Starck, for Andrey Melnichenko, 2015.

INFORMATION For more information, visit the  Philippe Starck   website

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Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.

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The three superyachts that Philippe Starck designed

By Gauri Kelkar

If there's one thing that is assured about Philippe Strack, it's that you never know what to expect from the maverick designer, whose felicity at invention is as diverse as his portfolio. The aesthetic with which he crafts a chair is similar only in the fact that it's so different from what informs his interiors. So you wouldn't be hard-pressed to imagine how unexpected and different his designs for yachts would be.

Here, we look at three iconic Philippe Starck designs that created floating architectural marvels, including a yacht for fellow iconoclast, Steve Jobs.

VENUS This 80-metre-long ship boasts an aluminium exterior that makes it look uncannily like a floating Apple notebook. Built over a period of six years, Venus has sleek contours, not unlike Apple products, but that in no way downplays the very obvious luxury of the superyacht. Fitted with large floor-to-ceiling windows, the main living area receives ample natural light. The highlight, though, has to be the seven 27-inch iMac computers in the wheelhouse.

By Devyani Jayakar

By Aishwarya Khurana

By Takshi Mehta

WEDGE TOO Looking unlike anything that Starck has designed before, the stunning 65-metre-long Wedge Too is all rounded edges and warm wooden interiors, which display an eclectic mix of periods and styles. The spaces inside include a large, yet inviting, lounge and master bedroom, which offer spectuacular views of the endless ocean. It is the sundeck which contains the best part—a Jacuzzi surrounded by a solarium.

A It cuts the water with sharp-featured grace, its slim structure an eye-catching addition to the high seas, stretching through the ocean across 119 metres. And it goes by the name of A. This superyacht designed by the French icon has thoroughly modern interiors and maximizes avaliable space. The interiors feature wood furnishing that are neatly juxtaposed by a glass roof. The perfect spot from where to view one of the swimming pools located above.

By Nivedita Jayaram Pawar

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Exclusive: pushing the boundaries of technology, Sailing Yacht A

Andrey Melnichenko is a man with exceptional vision. Where other yacht owners like to blend into the background, he wants his superyachts to push the boundaries of design, creativity and technology as well as make a statement. His first superyacht, Motor Yacht A , rocked the superyacht world with its radical design and now he’s done it again.

With an insatiable appetite to drive change he has put together a highly skilled team to build his new creation, currently under construction in Germany. Boat International was given exclusive access to the yacht, and we can reveal for the first time its name, Sailing Yacht A , and that this huge new project is a “sail-assisted motor yacht”.

This is the second yacht in Melnichenko’s portfolio. His first, Motor Yacht A , split opinion, but today stands as one of the most talked about and recognisable yachts in the world. But Sailing Yacht A is a much bolder move and Melnichenko has raised the stakes even higher with a radically designed yacht that introduces new technologies and techniques never before used in the shipbuilding industry. He also broke down barriers by creating his own project team to undertake the build from start to finish. Sailing Yacht A is a monument to invention.

Philippe Starck , who created Motor Yacht A , and from there went on to design Venus for the late Steve Jobs, is working once again for Andrey and Aleksandra Melnichenko on the project. “I am honoured and happy to bring to life the owner’s dream of what will be the summit of high technology and poetry,” says Starck.

Sailing Yacht A is a unique story that began as far back as 2008 when eight of the world’s leading designers were invited to submit their ideas for a huge project – the creation of one of the world’s biggest sail-assisted private yachts. Initially, French designer Jacques Garcia was chosen for his designs, but later there were concerns about the progress of design development, and the owner decided on a change of direction.

Sailing Yacht A is slated for delivery in 2016, although her masts were not stepped when Boat International was invited on board in July. The interior was also under wraps, but here we can take a look at some of her incredible statistics.

She is a three-masted, 142.81 metre (LOA) sail-assisted motor yacht, with a moulded beam at the widest point of 24.88 metres, an eight metre encapsulated keel and a gross tonnage of approximately 12,700GT. For a vessel of this size it was a challenge to find a shipyard that had the capacity, knowledge and skills to put together the naval architecture and engineering for the motor yacht side of the project. The one chosen, given its skills in building large yachts, was Nobiskrug in Germany.

For the sailing design, rig and keel, and associated structural engineering, Dykstra Naval Architects  in The Netherlands was appointed for its advanced technical abilities demonstrated on various world-class sailing yachts. Aloft Sailing Yacht A carries three of the largest and most highly loaded composite freestanding structures in the world produced by Magma Structures in the UK. The custom booms were made by Future Fibres in Valencia, and the custom sails by Doyle Sails in the USA.

With a hull and superstructure predominantly constructed of steel and incorporating composite and accents of carbon fibre, in order to keep the weight and draught to an acceptable level, Sailing Yacht A is the highest classified vessel of her type: (Maltese Cross) 100A1 Passenger ship Sail Assisted, (Maltese Cross) LMC UMC and (Maltese Cross) 100A1 Yacht Mono G6.

Propulsion comes from a customised hybrid diesel-electric package made up of two MTU 3,600kW diesel engines, and two 4,300kW electric motors, driving shafts ending in highly skewed five-bladed Andritz controllable pitch propellers. She is expected to cruise under power at 16 knots with an expected range of 5,320 nautical miles and will have a top speed of 21 knots.

With her uninterrupted shard-like appearance she carries her eight decks aft along the sheerline, which slopes up towards the stern, reaching a full beam width of 24.88 metres at the widest point. All her machinery is hidden within the hull structure, and as you can see, everything, including the windows, are flush. The bridge control centre for propulsion and sailing systems is on deck seven and there is a touch-and-go helicopter pad on deck six. There is accommodation available for up to 54 crew.

There are many more technical advances, innovations and surprises throughout her hull, decks and keel, which Boat International will reveal, in detail, in an exclusive feature in the November issue.

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30.09.12 - Design

Venus, super yacht

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