Text by: Romana Lilic
Photos: LA76 Strategic Design & Photography
Published in: ESCAPES #7

“I BELIEVE in an emotional architecture.”, once said one of Mexico’s most influential architects, Luis Barragán. Barragán reinvented Mexican modern architecture with sensuous aesthetics, vivid colors, attention to spaces and light, while accentuating the building’s natural surroundings. Emotional or sensual architecture is just how we could describe the style of San Jose del Cabo’s new contemporary home by acknowledged Mexican architects Javier Gutiérrez Toscano and Antonio Plá from ColectivoMX.

Casa Gavión evokes an emotional reaction at your first encounter. The impact of its massive proportions, volumes, forms, textures and colors will not leave you unmoved, guaranteed. Before continuing to explore its spaces indoors and outdoors, we recommend that you take off your flip flops, as this home is best enjoyed barefoot. Then stretch your arms, open your hands, and get ready for a flood of sensations. Casa Gavión is literally a sensational home.

In an awarded architectural studio ColectivoMX, well known for their regionalism in home design, they had four principles in mind during the creation of this impressive nature conscious home; passive pollution of the area by using regional materials and local labor force during the construction, sensibility of the materials by using different textures and reinterpreting their usage, integrating the indoor and outdoor spaces, and thus maximizing the usage of the space, while keeping the home user friendly with low maintenance costs.

The concept of the home is based on its residents and the enjoyment of all the spaces, where exterior becomes equally important as interior, complimenting the great weather of Baja California Sur. All the spaces in Casa Gavión are looking to the exterior, with each room having its own garden or terrace.

Dining and living room open to the large terrace and patio with the pool and lounge area. Bedroom on the ground level looks to the cardon cactus patio, and the kitchen opens to the stone patio and the garden. Both master bedrooms on the 1st floor each have their own terrace, and on the 2nd floor there is a large terrace with 360 C views of the Sea of Cortez, adjacent golf courses and the majestic mountains, ideal for sipping wine at sunset and star gazing.

The key characteristic of this home and the essence for its name is the rock wall, “gavión”. While you will notice gavión at the sides of the federal highway between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, the architect reinterpreted its use and its excellent isolation features to protect the spaces in the home from the sun while at the same time making it function as blinds, letting the air through the wall and cooling the area.

The advantage of owning a home in Baja is being able to live inside and outside at the same time. When walking around, you will notice that this home is without windows: pocket doors have been built throughout the home, so when you are in, you can have them wide open and enjoy the fresh breeze, the salty ocean smell and the birds singing. Windows in Casa Gavión function as a security asset: you use your windows when you are not using your home. The orientation of the home, cross ventilation, pergolas and a rock wall ensure isolation within the home and eliminate the need to use the air-conditioning.

Eternal summer was one of the reasons for different textures, implemented in this home. Rock wall, pebble stones, gypsum, stucco, rustic plaster, fine plaster and wood are only some of the materials you will enjoy while walking around barefoot. In the main patio alone you can experience fine grass, beach sand, water, stucco and rustic plaster, which you can enjoy depending on your feelings and desires. Let your children play in the house and see how impressed by the textures they will be. The architect’s daughters are walking around barefoot with their hands stretched out, touching and feeling everything that surrounds them with great joy.

In the past, hearing the term “ecological home” we used to think of high construction and high maintenance costs. Luckily, with  advances in technology, acceptance of the eco standards world wide and with it also lower implementation prices, Javier Gutierrez confirms that the construction costs of this home didn’t exceed the construction cost of any regular home.

The home has been planed and prepared to help you save energy and money, while protecting the nature at the same time. Prepared system for solar energy will help greatly reduce the consumption of electricity. Grey water usage system is installed and ready to use. Ingenious planning of the pool, consisting of dipping pool, swimming pool and jacuzzi reduces the water consumption generally used in homes with pools. Besides that, the roof, which is the largest source of heat to any house, is isolated with thick high density foam, thus reducing the need for AC.

Hard to comprehend for anyone having experienced the summers in Baja, but proven true, is that in Casa Gavión you don’t need to use air-conditioning, even in the hottest summer months. The cross-ventilation, isolation, the mix of indoor and outdoor spaces, open pocket doors, ventilators and breeze assure a fresh wind through all the living areas. Even though, air-conditioners are set for days or moments too hot to handle.

Casa Gavión is truly a sensational home. It will tickle your senses and bring out emotions, every day, guaranteed.

*Casa Gavión is FOR SALE. Contact us for a brochure and to schedule a tour: escapes@cbriveras.com.

See the full photo gallery from our photo shoot:

Casa Gavion, San Jose del Cabo – Images by Romana Lilic @LA76

Read an article about Casa Shelly, an awarded home by architectural studio ColectivoMX.

Pittsburgh Paints’s Color Show in Cabo San Lucas Presents a Palette of “Wow Color Now” for Home Décor in 2011-2012

Not shy reds, aquas and blues grounded with wood-tone browns celebrate Americans’ pursuit of triumph over adversity

Color is back in a big way, according to PPG Pittsburgh Paints’ color forecast for home décor in 2011-2012. Homeowners will gravitate towards bold, bright, bodacious color in the home, instead of the predominant grays and beiges of past years. The company’s color experts see a renewed focus on individual expression, manifested in such highly personal color choices as lipstick red, aqua, and poetic blue. These are just a few of the 20 paint colors presented in four new “Wow Color Now” palettes from PPG Pittsburgh Paints’ The Voice of Color® program, which sets the stage for a vibrant 2011 and 2012.

“The mood today is one of triumph over adversity,” says Dee Schlotter, Brand Manager, The Voice of Color, PPG Pittsburgh Paints. “Despite the challenges that Americans have faced recently, our need to succeed prevails. It’s a triumph of the individual and of personal expression, and there’s no better way to express yourself than with the transformative power of color in your home.”

Two societal trends are driving these trends in color, says Schlotter. The first is a new level of consumer sophistication as design becomes democratized, aided by people’s ever-increasing ability to decipher and disseminate information in real-time. The second is the quest for authenticity in a world where knock-offs are pervasive and instantaneous.

“The home is becoming a lab for new technologies and new looks,” says Schlotter. “We keep what works, and start over when it doesn’t. But always, the search is on for what’s real and honest.”

Because a trend is never about just one color but rather about all the colors in a room or space, Schlotter notes, The Voice of Color creates signature five-color card that expresses the mood of each new palette and offers colors for paint, fabrics, flooring and accessories. The four new “Wow Color Now” palettes in PPG Pittsburgh Paints’ The Voice of Color® program for 2011-2012 are:

INstinct

The soul of this palette is warm and authentic. It fuses the ancient, the mythological, the raw, and the primitive with a highly technical and minimalist modern-day aesthetic. A mix of ethnic exoticism and modern urban sophistication, this style befits the grown-up taste of a true citizen of the world. This palette is the most muted and grounded, organic rather than adorned. It blends light and dark woods, burnished leather with raw utilitarian stitching, and deep browns and natural charcoal stones.

The palette is refined but essentially basic and showcases the colors of materials with rich earthy qualities—leather, minerals, wood, and fur—enabling their natural beauty, grain, and texture to emerge. PPG Pittsburgh Paints colors include Cracked Slate, Silver Bells, Gypsum, Oregon Trail and Chaparral.

Glamour

With a focus on the “amour,” Glamour is mysterious, sophisticated, sensual, and intricate. It’s déjà vu from a contemporary perspective; always intentional, never shy. Slightly theatrical, conjuring an atmosphere of a new-age Sleeping Beauty, Glamour’s take on pattern is bold and sharp, with plays on negative space to constantly surprise and delight.

The palette incorporates glorious neutrals inspired by the most sumptuous materials, and inspires thoughts of time-worn limestone, starkly modern crystal, magnificent black marble, the warmest gold and other color-infused metallics. PPG Pittsburgh Paints colors include Dark as Night, Timber Beam, Angel Food, Almond Cream, and Rum Runner.

NEW Bohemia

Personality exudes from every inch of New Bohemia through a whimsical sense of design, a rebirth of craft, and the appearance of secondhand objects and other quirky and nostalgic elements. It’s a vintage aesthetic for a contemporary age, at once authentic, romantic, imaginative, and poetic— it positions the room as a discovery center or personal scrapbook. The style is gyp-set, fusing the ease and carefree lifestyle of a gypsy with the sophistication of the jet set.

With fantasy, fairytale, floral prints as an inspiration, color is innocently romantic and untamed. PPG Pittsburgh Paints colors include Red Cedar, Happy Trails, Hat Box Brown, Green Wave, and Aqua Fiesta.

UPcycle

The green movement grown up, UPcycle is about living simply with beautiful, useful, and sustainable objects. It is a philosophy steeped in the desire for clarity, function, and craftsmanship; it repudiates wastefulness and embraces the authentic, the meaningful, and the simply fun. Honest yet elegant, UPcycle is optimistic, clever, and proactive.

The palette is simple, honest, and upbeat, as the colors coordinate with wood, basic yarns, wool, cotton, untreated metals, and simply glazed ceramics in tone-on-tone. A color-blocking effect injects the dose of “up” into this color cycle and lights up pale wood tones. PPG Pittsburgh Paints colors include Brown Basket, Allspice, Gold Buff, Chalkware, and Adventure.

Finally, it’s important for designers to know about the upcoming trends, says Schlotter, because their clients certainly will. Consumers are becoming savvier every day, says Schlotter. They notice and instantly assess the aesthetics around them, from the coffee shop they visit to the airport they travel through to the tissue box they buy.

The “Wow Color Now” color palettes, as well as the nearly 2,000 colors from The Voice of Color, are available in any of PPG Pittsburgh Paints’ paint lines, including environmentally responsible PPG Pure Performance®. PPG Pure Performance is a premium quality paint that has zero VOCs and features minimal odor during application and drying.

To learn more about PPG Pittsburgh Paints and The Voice of Color’s “Wow Color Now” color palettes, and to find the dealer nearest you, please visit the PPG Pittsburgh Paints color website at www.voiceofcolor.com. You can purchase Pittsburgh Paints colors at Pinturas FAMZA in Cabo San Lucas and La Paz, www.pinturasfamza.com. Contact them at: famza_2@hotmail.com

PPG Color Leadership

PPG employs more than 20 color stylists around the world, each specializing in different markets, who collaborate to determine styles and color trends for the home, electronics, and automobiles. PPG’s unique position as a color leader in multiple markets allows it to observe and translate emerging global color trends for its customers’ applications—from consumer goods to automotive color, from residential to commercial to industrial design.

About The Voice of Color

PPG Pittsburgh Paints and PPG developed The Voice of Color program on the premise that every color has an emotional association and that individuals are drawn to different colors for reasons inherently tied to their unique personalities. With more than 1,800 colors to choose from, the program offers its signature five-color decorating color chips to assist homeowners in choosing colors for all the décor elements in their space. The Voice of Color is an integrated, comprehensive design system that offers tools and materials to redefine the world of color. Through an engaging on-line experience, homeowners can identify their color personality and find the colors that best complement their style, personality, and five senses. Among The Voice of Color elements are: the Color Sense Game®; yearly color trends; exclusive color families and color palettes such as Hacienda Style and Fallingwater®-inspired colors; unique decorating color chips; wet paint sample program; and website at www.voiceofcolor.com.

About PPG

PPG Industries’ vision is to continue to be the world’s leading coatings and specialty products company. Founded in 1883, the company serves customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, and construction markets and aftermarkets. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, PPG operates in more than 60 countries around the globe. Sales in 2009 were $12.2 billion. PPG shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: PPG). For more information, visit www.ppg.com.

This beautiful yacht designed by Philippe Starck has been making waves in Los Cabos, in showing off its beauty in Puerto Los Cabos and Cabo San Lucas marinas. We have to admit that it looks very impressive, and it is a pleasure to see it cruising the waters of Baja California Sur.

The "A" Yacht in Cabo San Lucas bay. Our apologies for a low resolution image.

The article about the “A” yacht by Robert Frank, Wallstreet Journal:

At the top of a spiral staircase lined with scalloped, silver-leaf walls (the banister cost $60,000) is a door accessible by a fingerprint security system. It opens to an all-white, 2,583-square-foot master suite wrapped in bomb-proof, 44-milimeter glass. There, a king-sized bed sits on a giant platter that rotates with the press of a silver button. Another set of buttons rotates the bed itself. The combination of the rotating bed and the rotating platter allows limitless angles for watching the sunset, sunrise or the 60-inch plasma TV, which retracts from the ceiling.

And of course, everything’s afloat.

In the battle among Russia’s billionaires for yacht supremacy, Roman Abramovich’s upcoming 540-foot Eclipse may soon become the biggest, but Andrey Melnichenko‘s 394-foot “A” has become the most talked-about yacht on the seas.

With its radical shape—more sleek submarine than boxy pleasure boat—and reams of custom parts and finishes (including bath knobs costing $40,000 apiece), “A” is a conspicuous marker of an ocean-going plutocracy that’s largely been untouched by the recession. The boat, designed by Philippe Starck and completed in mid-2008 for more than $300 million USD, has spawned a flotilla of copycats emulating its low-slung hull and design scheme. Numerous companies involved in its construction went bankrupt, done in by the novelty of the project and the level of customization required.

For all its fame, “A” remains a bit mysterious. Its owner, a 38-year-old banking, steel and fertilizer czar, is intensely private and requires all his construction crew and staff to sign strict confidentiality agreements (he declined comment for this article). He and his wife only rarely entertain on board, and few public images of the boat’s interior exist.

Dirk Kloosterman, “A”‘s project manager and a veteran of the world’s largest yachts, recently provided an exclusive tour of the boat’s 23,600 square feet of living space.

The boat’s interior departs dramatically from most conventions of yacht design. Instead of the usual overstuffed couches and mahogany walls, there are Baccarat-crystal tables, shiny white finishes and polished silver, a kind of Manhattan-loft-meets-Vegas aesthetic. Many of the rooms have floor-to-ceiling mirrors, which Mr. Starck says have a built-in “mathematical beauty” that also refer to the “mathematical genius” of Mr. Melnichenko.

The walls of one room are covered in white sting-ray hides, while another is covered in hand-stitched calf’s leather. The main deck features two Michel Haillard chairs made from alligator hides and Kudo horns. Known for his mischievous streak, Mr. Starck outfitted “A” with risqué touches like the suite dubbed the “nookie room” by the crew, with its white circular bed with padded walls and a ceiling-mounted TV.

Mr. Starck says that while most megayachts are “vulgar” statements of wealth and power, “A” was designed to be in harmony with the sea and nature. “This boat has elegance and intelligence, it is not trying to show the money,” he adds.

As with many Russian-owned yachts, “A” is highly secure. Its rounded exterior and knife-like hull make it difficult for intruders to board. It has 44 security cameras and more than a dozen exterior cameras fitted with motion-detection systems and a night-vision infrared system.

It is also designed to outrun threats: Twin, high-speed diesel engines deliver 24,000 horsepower and push the 5,959-gross-ton ship to 24 knots, roughly a third faster than most boats its size. The boat, which is stabilized by fiber-optic gyroscopes and four giant motorized flaps, is rumored to also be equipped with a pod-like escape system, but the staff declined to comment.

A transom door in the rear of the boat, which swings with open to become a swim deck, is fitted with so many hydraulics, locking pins, rotating stairs and electronics that it cost around $25 million to build. The company that made it eventually went bankrupt, along with the company that made the bomb-proof wrap-around glass encasing the master suite and the company that built the hydraulic gangways. The ship’s two main landing boats are mini-yachts themselves, stretching to 36 feet, boasting plush interiors and costing more than $1 million each.

There’s little sign that the billionaire boat boom is ending. The recession has certainly hit the “middle-class” yacht market, as banks cut back on boat loans and mere millionaires struggle to rebuild their fortunes. Orders for boats of more than 80 feet fell to 753 last year from 992 in 2008, according to Showboats International magazine. Yet orders for superyachts, or those more than 250 feet, were actually up more than 20% in 2009, according to Showboats.

“A” has a crew of between 35 to 37 people, including stewards and stewardesses, mechanical engineers, security staff, housekeepers, deck hands, galley crew and chefs. The crew also has specialists for surfing, jet skiing, water skiing and cycling. All of the crew wear Starck-designed uniforms—crisp white dress shirts and white pants for daytime, and tight, black T-shirts and slacks for evening. The boat costs over $20 million a year to maintain; Filling the gas tank costs more than $500,000.

There are many discussion groups and forums about “A” online, with titles like “The Ugliest Yacht in the World” and “Should Philippe Starck Design Boats?” Debates can get heated: On the “Insider’s Guide to St. Bart’s”—a Web site frequented by vacationers on the upscale Caribbean island—dozens of “A” spotters tracked the boat’s daily movements.

“That’s pretty Cool!,” wrote one St. Bart’s vacationer. “Finally a real designer yacht!”.

Added another: “Who would call their Yacht ‘The A’? Seems like you’re setting yourself up big time.” (“A” stands for both Andrey and Aleksandra, Mr. Melnichenko’s Serbian-born supermodel wife).

Some yacht designers and brokers describe “A” as too futuristic and aggressive for the leisurely world of yachting. “Initially I was very skeptical,” says Jonathan Beckett, chief executive of London-based Burgess, the yacht broker. “When you just see photos, it’s a very strange-looking boat. But when I saw it cruising in the Caribbean this year, I have to say I was impressed. It’s a very exciting boat to watch. It’s simply unlike anything that’s ever been done before.”

Crew members often joke about the Melnichenkos’ penchant for the spontaneous, with frequent changes in itinerary or travel. The boat doesn’t spend much time in any one port, since Mr. Melnichenko prefers to roam the seas for weeks at a time. Last year he spent several months in the Mediterranean; this year he’s mainly in the Caribbean.

“In week late September 2010, the yacht has been seen in the port of San Jose del Cabo (Puerto Los Cabos) and in the bay of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico.” (Escape’s editor note).

“The fun thing about working on ‘A’ is you never know what the next hour will bring,” says Mr. Kloosterman, “A’s” project manager. “This boat is all about the unexpected.”

First published in WSJ: by Robert Frank, Wallstreet Journal

Besides Wally-Hermès Yacht and Spa Boat we found another jewel for cruising the waters of Baja California Sur:

Designed by notable naval architect Luca Brenta, of the eponymous Milan-based studio responsible for the splendid ‘Wally B’ and ‘Wallygator’, the CNB 100 / Chrisco is lithe and elegant. The yacht also has a spectacular interior, created by Wetzels Brown Partners, an Amsterdam studio with extensive experience of translating architectural concepts to transportation design, including private jets and motoryachts (English interior designer Gillian Brown, who founded the firm with her partner, Dutch architect Rob Wetzels, worked closely with Lazzarni Pickering on the iconic ‘Wallpower 118′).

For the 100ft, composite carbon fibre yacht, the design team were briefed to create every single aspect of the interior, right down to table setting, graphics and the crew’s uniforms. Tasked with such a monumental project, the first stage was to set out a simple, coherent palette.

The glassy cabin architecture allows lots of natural light into the upper deck, as well as views fore and aft. The sense of lightness is enhanced by the main mast, which is visible from both above and below decks, forming a central focus for the living accommodation.

The simple black and white colour scheme is paired with a custom-LED light installation that allows five colours to wash across the walls; it also provides a neutral backdrop for the owner’s art collection. All furniture is fitted and custom made, and the china, glassware, vases and other accessories is specially selected from Alessi, Carlo Moretti and Gaetano Pesce, respectively.

The shape of the hull is left visible so as to act as a counterpoint to the objects, cabins and forms within it. Finishes include carbon fibre, leather, linen and silk, a monochrome palette that’s complemented by the specially-designed dining chairs, created by WBP to fulfil the demands of life on the high seas without compromising their structural honeycomb form.

From outside, the glass volume that extends out of the main deck appears like a solid object, a dark faceted mass that stands in stark relief to the airy, light space within. Luca Brenta’s exterior design makes the most of these intersections between deck and hull, exaggerating the sleek lines of this ocean-going machine that’s also a testament to the success of a truly intense design brief.

Seen in Wallpaper.

Color, a five-letter word but with a meaning so deep, it touches and moves our lives profoundly. Did you know that color can influence your mood, eating habits or sleeping routine? Color is in everywhere and in everything, and the best exponent of color and its influence in our lives is PPG Pittsburg Paints.

PPG is a well-established group of over 100 years leading the market of coatings, specialty products and services. Recently, PPG Pittsburgh Paints throughout its certified dealer in Baja California Sur, Productos Famza, presented the upcoming tendencies of color in the program The Voice of Color, and ESCAPES Magazine was invited to  participate at the event, and experience the new color trends for 2010/11.

The Voice of Color was developed on the premise that every color has an emotional association and that individuals are drawn to different colors for reasons inherently tied to their unique personalities. With more than 1,800 colors to choose from, it offers their signature five-color decorating color chips to assist homeowners, architects, engineers and designers in choosing colors for all the décor elements in their space. PPG employs more than 20 color stylists around the world, each specializing in different markets, who collaborate to determine styles and color trends for the home, electronics, and automobiles.

For their market in the South of Baja, Productos Famza presented The Color Show and invited top American Interior Designer Karolyn Spagnolo to talk about the new tendencies in color and design. “Today’s color trends have staying power. You renew instead of buying new. You choose sustainable colors with an environmental and economic awareness that’s becoming second nature for us all”, mentioned Karolyn during her presentation.

The new color trend palettes for this season are:

CANVAS

The palette is minimal, organic, and spacious. Canvas is a sophisticated blend of the modern and the rustic with clean and uncluttered design. It is characterized by simplified shapes, natural materials, raw textures, and rugged surfaces.

GRACE

The palette is refined, romantic, and sumptuous. Grace embraces the look of precious metals, mirrored surfaces, shimmering silks, and soft woven jacquards. With discerning taste, Grace assuredly mixes gold tones and antique brass, sateen, cashmere, damask, crystal, and well-loved adornments.

PINK CITY

A vibrant, profound Indian pink and a spicy rusty orange play against an off-white linen. A stony gray and a chocolate brown combine to reflect urbanity, masculinity, and a grounding place for the rest of the palette.

ZEST

Through a mix of geometric forms, quirky shapes, and bright finishes, Zest provokes a positive and contemporary outlook on design. Zest incorporates retro patterns, transparency, lacquer, angular and faceted cuts, and black and white high gloss objects to brighten favorite spaces.

Throughout the presentation, Karolyn explained that each year, new color trends follow the fluid movement of the home fashion market and resonate with consumers’ desire to constantly reinvent themselves and their living spaces. At the end, Productos Famza hosted an exquisite cocktail where invitees savored fine creations, a glass of wine and were able to ask their questions about materials, coatings and all the different ways to incorporate the new tendencies in color into their lives.

For more information about The Voice of Color program and products and services by Productos Famza in Cabo San Lucas & La Paz, send them an email to famza_2@hotmail.com . www.pinturasfamza.com

We are repeating ourselves when we say that we love Baja’s warm winters. But, we admit, we do miss winter, cold and snow as well (from time to time). For a week or so would be marvelous to put on several layers of clothes, hats, gloves and dig into the snow. Or maybe take on an exotic journey to Norway by boat. And not just any boat, but Spa Boat.

As seen in Wallpaper:

Combining two of our favourite pursuits in one luxury package, the Spa Boat – designed by Norway-based, Finnish architect Sami Rintala – brings an added dimension to the standard spa weekend.

Taking a stripped-down 1950s fishing boat as the skeleton of his project, Rintala adapted the bare woods and curving walls as integral design elements of his vision.

The depths of the hold, where tons of North Sea fish were once stored, now plays host to a wood-clad spa area – featuring a Turkish Hammam (complete with the obligatory steambath, bath tub and hot tiles), Zen lounge with wood burning fireplace and a sauna surrounded by panoramic windows.

The Scandi-inspired luxury continues on deck, with a hot tub designed for mid-winter Aurora Borealis gazing, whilst a seven meter-high diving board provides release for those with more frenetic agendas.

Boasting three, well-proportioned guest bedrooms, the Spa Boat can play host to as many as twelve guests at a time, whilst the on-board kitchen – which brings to mind many a pared-down Scandinavian eatery – comes complete with a host of professional chefs.

Moored in the Arctic city of Tromsø and unveiled at the end of last year, the Spa Boat offers an authentic – if wintry – take on the spa experience.

Imagine cruising Baja California Sur in a yacht like this… Mmmm… We’re in!

A luxurious on-ground villa, that offers to its residents the comfort, spaciousness and interior flexibility but yet immobile?  Or a limited in space and wavering but at the same time capable of transferring you to any place you want yacht?  That could always be the question faced by clients of the luxury leisure sector.  Trying to address this issue while simultaneously implementing the know-how and craftsmanship of both companies, the Monaco-based yacht maker Wally and the luxury French brand Hermès, created WHY – a state-of the-art vessel, for which the idea of the hull was initially taken from a seismic vessel, and was redesigned and adapted to the needs of the sea. The outcome was a super-luxurious yacht which measures 58 meters long and 38 meters wide and can accommodate 12 guests and 20 crew members.

The interior of the yacht follows the high standards of the design companies and is fitted out with water resistant leather, whereas wood is used in most of the interior areas of the vessel.  The total 3.400m² guest surface areas, is divided into three different levels containing all rooms that could be found in a luxury villa such as lounges, dining rooms, libraries and spa areas.

The yacht has been tested under various conditions and the outcome is that under unfavourable weather conditions it remains more stable than any other of its type, and when anchored it creates a flat surface behind it where swimmers feel as if they are in an Olympic-sized pool.  Since the aim of the project is to create a boat that imitates the specifications of a luxury villa but also has the advantages of a boat, it also means that the vessel must be so stable so that the guests can engage in the same activities as they would on the ground.  WHY’s ability to offer this, is probably proved by the fact that it carries around it a real jogging track inspired by coastal paths!

What is extraordinary about this concept is that despite its lavishness, superior design and cutting-edge nautical technologies it is also environmentally ethical both in terms of the choice of its design materials and energy consumption.  WHY requires less power at cruising speed than a boat of equal size whereas it also carries a wind-turbine system and a rectangle mast that produces approximately 30% of the energy used to propel the boat.

This venture makes us happy not only because it constitutes a masterwork in terms of technology and design but also because it can set the example for future eco-friendly nautical conceptions.

Sustainability
“We are very interested in creating a yacht that will have a low environmental impact”, says Pierre-Alexis Dumas. “Its relationship with the sea must be respectful and easy. WHY intends to offer a new way of moving over water by creating an innovative way of managing and recycling its sources and uses of energy.”

“If you want to go totally ecological, it’s only sailing yacht. The reality is that today, 90 % of the market is powerboats, echoes Luca Bassani Antivari. Our aim is to reduce diesel consumption per year and per yacht: 20 to 30 % for propulsion and 40 to 50 % for generation.”

Thanks to its specific hull, WHY 58×38 requires less power at cruising speed than a boat of equal size. Its diesel-electric propulsion is the most efficient motorisation today, and the surface of the photovoltaic panels, almost 900 square metre, covers most of the boat’s auxiliary system needs.

WHY Research and Development plans to optimize this project’s energy consumption by improving the isolation of the yacht and the heat recovery of its engines, and is also investigating the latest wind energy production and wind propulsion system technologies. In comparison to a yacht of the same size, WHY 58×38 has been conceived to reduce drastically its energy consumption, saving up to 200 tons of diesel per year.
The WHY R & D program includes tank testing for hull stability in the SSPA facilities in Sweden, and the construction of a full-scale mock-up in order to allow the design team to fine tune the living areas correctly in accordance with the hull’s unique shape.
“The WHY 58X38 yacht looks very unfamiliar but it remains on a human scale. Space is the greatest luxury on the sea, but I believe the new luxury will be the time to enjoy it”, concludes Pierre-Alexis Dumas.

Dimensions & capacity
58 m length
38 m beam
2,400 tons displacement
12 guests
20 crew
3,400 m² living areas

Performance
12 knots cruising speed
14 knots maximum speed
Constant cruising speed up to Sea Force 4
Long range autonomy 4 Atlantic crossings
Promenade on deck 130 m long x 3 m wide
Swimming pool with thermo regulated water 25 m long

Green Energy
900 m² Thermophotovoltaic panels
2,000 kWh stored energy
Last-generation batteries (LiFePO4)
Renewable energy production 500 kWh/day
Lost thermal energy recovered 1,500 kWh/day
Annual equivalent fuel saving 160,000 liters

WHY Design Team
Pierre-Alexis Dumas / Artistic Director, Hermès
Luca Bassani Antivari / President and CEO, Wally
Gabriele Pezzini / Design Director, Hermès
Mauro Sculli / Naval Architect

Naval engineering
Roar Ramde

Interior architecture
Denis Montel, RDAI

Images: 3D interior image // Courtesy of Wally Hermès Yachts

Text: Yasmine Hottary for Yatzer (www.yatzer.com) and WHY Press Release

Wally-Hermès Yachts: www.why-yachts.com