Benetti shapes the future: the new Veranda Deck and collaboration with Igor Lobanov and Espen Øino
by Benetti 30 Sep 2023 08:03 PDT
27-30 September 2023
Veranda Deck © Benetti Yachts
The new B.YOND 55M and "Project LIFE" 85M have been revealed. The new concept "Benetti Veranda Deck™" disrupts the traditional limit between interior and exterior on the Main Deck.
During the "Shaping the Future" press conference held yesterday at Hotel Hermitage in Monaco on the occasion of its 150th anniversary, Benetti presented achievements of the last year and illustrated plans for development, revealing new design concepts. Among the highlights are collaborations with the most authoritative architecture and design studios.
"It is a great pleasure for me to announce our new collaborations and projects today. Offering cutting-edge yachts to the market is our mission, hence the need to further expand the brand's collaborations with the best designers in the world and announce new revolutions in the world of yachting, of which the Veranda Deck is the new standard bearer. It's a symposium, a triumph of excellence in yachting under the Benetti flag, and I am very proud of it" stated Giovanna Vitelli, Chair of Azimut|Benetti Group.
Veranda DECK™
The yachting world was revolutionized by the Oasis Deck®, a totally innovative concept of the stern beach area and, today, Benetti and RWD announce a new milestone, the Veranda Deck, the reinterpretation of the Main Deck lounge. A space that has seen almost no change in the past fifty years and has thus fallen behind, increasingly avoided due to its excessive formality. The new generation of owners love contact with the outdoors, so the new "Veranda Deck" opens the space completely on three sides, creating a continuous environment between the lounge and the stern. Interiors that transform into exteriors and vice versa provide a new place to enjoy boundless views and contact with the surrounding world. This new concept will be proposed for the first time on the Motopanfilo 45M, a steel project with which Benetti rediscovers the origins of the iconic yachts of the Sixties that made yachting history, with memories of rounded sterns and timeless impact. The exteriors are designed by RWD. Lazzarini Pickering Architetti envisioned the Interior Design and Exterior Deck Design of the 45M in continuity with the 37M, building on their meticulous study of the spaces.
Project B.Yond 55m
The B.Yond family grows with the new 55M whose design bears the signature of Igor Lobanov, his first collaboration with Benetti. The B.Yond line was born from the revolutionary vision of Paolo Vitelli and the creative genius of Stefano Righini, who with the first 37M created the Voyager, not a traditional megayacht, nor an extreme explorer, but a new category in steel designed for intrepid owners with a thirst for discovery, who wish to travel around the world without giving up the pleasure of yachting. Volume, reliability, seaworthiness are the traditional values associated with B.Yond.
Igor Lobanov endeavored to enhance the "Voyager" spirit of the line with environments designed to offer guests diverse experiences, even during long stays on board. Each of the five decks was designed for a distinct use, always ensuring privacy and intimacy for guests and crew. Furthermore, to provide for more activities, the concept of layout "fluidity" was introduced. Replacing the classic ideal of symmetry with an innovative approach to the positioning of the stairs, new spaces were created inside the yacht. For the exterior design, Lobanov was inspired by the clean lines of the luxury automotive world, focusing on the creation of fluid yet massive, robust and rounded shapes. A game of optical illusions characterizes the side of this 55-meter vessel, creating a highly suggestive visual effect.
Project Life 85m
With the signature of Espen Øino on the exteriors and Francois Zuretti on the interiors, Benetti announces Project LIFE, the new 85-meter to enrich its megayacht fleet. With this project, Benetti relies on the large scale expertise of Espen Øino, one of the most famous names in yachting internationally. With Project LIFE, Øino starts from Benetti's distinctive characteristic, the capacity to invent new lifestyles, especially on the stern, offering varied interpretations of this concept across the decks. All the spaces aboard Project LIFE are designed for a new kind of social entertainment with large convivial areas and reconfigurable meeting places on each deck. The outstanding example is the large revolving lounge that changes its focal point according to the time of the day. Project LIFE is equipped with all the modern technologies available to reduce consumption: a highly efficient and optimized hull; diesel-electric propulsion with fossil and non fossil fuel (HVO) technology and POD transmission; and integrated hybrid solar panels that collect both solar and thermal energy to power the tenders, toys and appliances.
Over the years, Francois Zuretti has written fascinating pages in the history of yachting together with Benetti, such as Ambrosia, Saga and the Benetti Classic, Tradition and Vision series, to name a few. For the interiors, Francois Zuretti's decor choices create a perfect balance between the colors and the surrounding environment, which materializes with an expanded opening, allowing natural light to enhance the spaces and the continuously moving landscape. Zuretti worked on the materials and ceiling heights in particular to achieve spatial and stylistic continuity between interior and exterior, creating contemporary and welcoming environments. This modern choice which favors curved lines is perceived in the Main Reception, in the Main Saloon and in the Upper Lounge. Zuretti has enhanced the sea views with floor-to-ceiling windows and designed a lighting system to create evocative atmospheres in all the leisure areas.
Project ORO 85m: the interiors
During the press conference, Valentina Zannier presented the interiors of "ORO", her first collaboration with Benetti, whose external design and layout bear the signature of Giorgio Cassetta. ORO's exterior style is all about sophisticated purity. Soft and uninterrupted lines define a personality through subtle but carefully studied three-dimensional movements. Stately proportions and sheer volume give her an imposing yet graceful presence. The work of Valentina Zannier focuses on the interaction between the contemporary style of the surfaces and the classic details of the yacht, giving the impression of a precious jewel. Fluid shapes and the strong link between external and internal spaces are inevitably connected, while the extensive use of natural materials combined with a palette of neutral yet warm colors endows an authentic air, reflective of a refined development of pure, ancestral shapes and motifs.
The Green Route: making a difference today
Benetti reconfirms its concrete and responsible approach to reducing emissions, a strategy launched over two decades ago and based on the development and implementation of the best technologies available to make an immediate difference. Today, Benetti offers hybrid or diesel-electric propulsion across nearly its entire range, paired with high-efficiency hulls that significantly reduce consumption and CO2 emissions.
From the insight that yachts are used at anchor 90% of the time, Benetti also announces a program of solutions aimed at optimizing energy consumption through an innovative Power Management system: for example, the latest generation air conditioning systems allow a reduction in electricity consumption of up to 60%, while the advanced heat recovery system reduces the energy required to heat the fresh water for onboard services.
With the progressive decarbonization of the sector in mind and alternative solutions to fossil fuels playing a major role, Azimut|Benetti Group has recently signed an agreement with Eni Sustainable Mobility for the supply of HVOlution, the HVO biofuel produced with 100% renewable raw materials*. The test program conducted in the summer of 2023 demonstrated the full technical efficiency of the biofuel and recorded a well-to-wake reduction in CO2 emissions of more than 80% compared to a yacht of similar size powered by fossil fuel. HVO biofuel is the most mature solution at the moment, ready for immediate and practical use to lower CO2 emissions starting today.
*Pursuant to EU Directive 2018/2001 "REDII"