Feadship winners at Design and Innovation Awards

Three Feadships win four top prizes at Design and Innovation Awards

Congratulations to the owners of Lady S, Najiba and SYZYGY 818 – and all involved in the design and construction of these Feadships – for their winning performance at the 2020 BOAT International Design & Innovation Awards. Prizes were handed out at the climax of the Superyacht Design Festival on February 2 in Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy as part of an awards programme that acknowledges innovation and engineering in the realm of naval architecture, styling and design.

Contemporary charms

The only superyacht to take home two awards on this prestigious occasion was Lady S. The prize for ‘outstanding exterior above 500GT’ was granted for the way Feadship and Michael Leach Design “successfully hid the yacht’s high volume within a contemporary low profile, with a near plumb bow, visible chine and complex shapes and beauty lines that employ shadow rather than paint to break up hull surfaces.” The judges also gave a special mention to “the open and very liveable deck spaces and the way transparency between the decks is created by balconies with glass inserts and a clever wasp waist that makes the helipad-sundeck seem like a special destination while ushering in light to the owner’s deck below.”

Extreme elegance

Lady S also won the award for ‘best motoryacht interior design above 500GT’. The judges praised Reymond Langton Design and Feadship for a "complex, multi-layered interior that manages to pair extreme elegance with fun and entertainment. The interior reads as mostly white to serve as a foil to the turquoise colours of the family’s favourite cruising grounds. The range of exquisite materials and details employed creates enough drama to keep guests intrigued no matter the length of the stay.” The impressive and highly innovative work involved in creating the first floating IMAX cinema was also commended, as was the smart layout and adaptability for charter and the way the owner’s deck lounge transforms into a disco with interactive dance floor.

Forward-looking efficiency

The Design and Innovation Award for ‘best naval architecture’ went to the Feadship Najiba, which the judges said faced stiff competition from five other “highly qualified finalists”. This category pays particular attention to issues of efficiency as borne out by details of range and horsepower for given displacements, and efforts made to reduce drag. “Najiba exploited the benefits of a relatively narrow beam and the approach taken by Philippe Briand and De Voogt Design presented a more efficient hull form and was the most innovative and forward-looking.” Read more about Najiba‘s award-winning performance in terms of fuel consumption.

Innovative glass envelope

One of the most keenly-awaited presentations of the night was the ‘Innovation of the Year’ award, which went to SYZYGY 818. “Featuring giant slabs of perfectly clear glass that are both vertically and horizontally curved, SYZYGY 818 displays a remarkable feat of engineering and construction,” commented the judges. “Her all-glass envelope brings the outdoor environment into intimate contact with the interior.” Finnish naval architect Jarkko Jämsén, “has taken the concept of structural glass a step further by curving the glass to control and slow the movement of reflection across the surface.” The jury also noted how much work was required from Feadship considering that the two-and-a-half deck glass envelope of SYZYGY 818 is fundamental to the watertight integrity of the yacht and needed meticulously examination by Lloyd’s.