Discreetly Free of Bulkheads: Expansive Platform for Original Conceptualization
Envision the main deck of your boat is 85 percent open area, free of any bulkheads. Compared to all the […]
Victoria Liotta
Envision the main deck of your boat is 85 percent open area, free of any bulkheads. Compared to all the megayachts that have been built or are in the works, this one pales. However, because of Lateral Naval Architects’ efforts, this is not only possible but grounded in reality. To free up owners, designers, and fellow engineers from conventional limitations, the design studio developed a new technology platform called Free From Bulkheads.
Studio R&D coordinator and senior naval architect Adrien Thoumazeau feels that modern boat design is an improvement over its predecessors. But, he explains, there are still things that must be done in a certain way to satisfy regulations, so those things are kept firmly inside the box. Nobody has rethought those approaches either. Every bespoke superyacht indeed is one of a kind, but the technological infrastructure has become more or less standard throughout the industry, as Thoumazeau puts it.
To improve the customer experience, “we’re constantly striving to push ourselves and go beyond the box,” he says. Lateral Naval Architects, in particular, have pondered whether or not a technological platform may provide limitless space above the ocean. As a result, we arrived at the Free From Bulkheads approach, which included, oddly enough, visualizing a skateboard.
The studio saw a skateboard as logical since, like a boat, its “machinery” is hidden from view (a.k.a. decks). On the other hand, everything goes when you’re playing over the line. So, inspired by the skateboard concept, the studio replaced the conventional engine room with a tween deck. Near the diagram of the ship’s machinery above, it may be found in the middle, shaded in dark blue. Similarly, the color blue designates the ship’s technical departments and more plush quarters. In addition, the studio added around three feet to the freeboard (the height above the waterline of the main deck) (1 meter).
The final product is an LOA of 273 feet (or 83.3 meters), with over 230 feet (70 meters) of unrestricted luxury space on the main deck. Or, to rephrase the percentage, it’s equal to 84% of the yacht’s total length. In addition, a staggering 9,687 square feet (900 square meters) of high-end space is available on the Free From Bulkheads platform. It has a beam of 45 feet (13.8 meters) and a capacity of 2,500 gross tonnes.
Lateral Naval Architects didn’t stop there; they went much farther. Michael Leach Design was brought on board to provide the Free From Bulkheads platform with its aesthetic. As practically every surface is covered with glass from floor to ceiling, the effect seen from the inside ought to be rather remarkable. Michael Leach draws attention to the fact that the first open deck is just 5 feet and 2 inches (1.6 meters) above the waterline. “This technology platform gives a novel approach, freeing up the conventional limits of an 80-meter boat,” he continues. “This technology platform offers an innovative solution.”