COVETED MAGAZINE PAGE 79.
THE HISTORY SUPREME DESIGNED
BY STUART HUGHES
Ostentatious. Luxurious. Over the top. No other words could describe
the 3 billion dollar superyacht. Stuart Hughes, a UK-based designer,
sold this gem to an anonymous Malaysian businessman. The 100 ft
(30m) may be small compared to the other yachts on this list, but it
is incredibly huge in value with all its jewels, platinum and gold. The
yacht is covered in around 100 000 kg of gold and platinum, added
to convey uniqueness to the project. All features, including the deck,
dining area, rails, anchor are made from precious metals too and the
base of the vessel is also wrapped in gold.
The most exquisite and literally out-of-this-world features of the yacht
is the main sleeping quarter, adorned in platinum as well, with a wall
feature made from meteoric stone and a real dinosaur bone from a
T-Rex. Also on board is a luxury liquor bottle featuring an 18.5-carat
diamond, one of the world’s rarest, along with a panoramic wall
aquarium made from 68kg of 24-carat gold. If that’s not enough, some
of the other on-board features include an iPhone wrapped in 500 cut
diamonds, a 7.4-carat pink diamond and a rare eight-carat diamond. It
took Stuart Hughes three years to complete this one-of-a-kind project.
UNIQUE CIRCLE DESIGNED BY ZAHA HADID
Blohm + Voss make yet another appearance and top our list with a collaboration with
one of the most well-known and remarkable architect studios in the entire world:
Zaha Hadid. This contemporary take on a superyacht concept and design delivered
a prototype for a 420 ft (128m) yacht. The design inspiration is taken from fluid
dynamics and underwater ecosystems, with hydrodynamic research shaping the
design of the hull.
Also, this exoskeleton connects the various levels and decks of the ship seamlessly
via expressive diagonals. Zaha Hadid has created intense connectivity between the
various decks and elements of the modern design: a language of the master prototype
has been applied to subsequent variations of the Unique Circle Yachts 90m yacht
concepts, creating a comprehensible and clear design with the highest correlation
between the various design possibilities. The clean, white, contemporary interiors
were also inspired by the ocean’s fluid form. It’s still unknown if and when the
Zaha Hadid-designed superyachts will be built, but it’s still an unique project, with
Blohm + Voss and Zaha Hadid Architects working together to address the practical
challenges of designing a yacht while remaining true to the strong, unique design
language of the master prototype.
The resulting designs are the synergy and collaboration of Zaha Hadid’s design vision
and the technical knowledge of Blohm + Voss, consenting flexibility and customization
in the eventual design of the luxury yacht.
PROJECTS //
