2016 Young Designer of the Year Finalists

Booster Blog

designer of the year

The Young Designer of the Year Award celebrates the creme de la creme of the year’s superyacht designs. Scouted from boards of students and trainee designers, the competition is intended to relate realistic client requests to young designers to provide an opportunity to get their hands on some real practice and experience. 6 finalists have been chosen for this year’s competition, bringing some fascinating designs to the table.

The task of the competition this year is to expand a concept for a 45-meter motor yacht into a complete and coherent design, including the general arrangement plan for cockpits and all enclosed spaces.

One such design is from Baoqi Xiao, with his superyacht that would be sure to make any witnesses stop and stare. The exterior of the boat is fashioned around knitwear. No, the boat will not be fitted with knitted wool, though it does take on a very capturing look, inspired by the interweaving zigzags of knitted fashion.

The inside of Baoqi Xiao’s entry is also very appealing, with an upper deck designed solely for the owner leading downstairs into a cinema on the main deck. Outdoor seating is provided with a teppanyaki grill, as well as a spa and sauna featured on the lower deck.

Also offering a fascinating spectacle for the eye is Lujac Desautal. Inspired by the terraces of Portofino, the yacht design is made up of layers; layers of varying space that create a flexible environment for the entertainment of guests, inside and out. The unique character of each space upon the boat allows for diverse functions such as an open air cinema, a diving board, outdoor living room, fitness area, dance floors and even a fashion show space. This design would be an ideal space for holding functions.

For the client who fancies themselves as somewhat of a party enthusiast, Ben Hill has designed the perfect space to take it to the waters. Each deck is named after the main purpose of which it serves. There’s the Catwalk deck, armed with a large outdoor dance floor, a beauty salon and a dressing

 room. Above that is the DJ deck, with, of course, a designated space for a DJ, a jacuzzi and sun loungers. Recovering from a night’s partying is not to be taken lightly. Ben Hill took this into consideration and has included the Relaxation deck in his design entry; equipped with spa, sauna, massage suite, steam room and beach club.

Take a quick glance at the entrees for 2016 and you will see that competitions such as Young Designer of the Year Award play a critical role in encouraging exciting new talent to come to the surface. Providing a space for designers to apply their skills in meeting realistic needs will always be of value in the ever expanding field of design.