OCEAN 39 PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 2011

Design Downunder

Australian yacht design has never been in better shape. Ocean rounds up some of the movers and shakers making an impact on the world stage.

Text by Sam Tinson Photography by Sam Tinson

A year is a long time in the yachting industry, and for Australian designer David Stewart the changes over the last 12 months have been more dramatic than most.

Back in July 2010 Stewart was recruited by Aussie boat building legend Bill Barry-Cotter to revamp the interiors of Maritimo and Mustang motor yachts. When Barry-Cotter signed him up following a meeting at that year’s Sydney International Boat Show, Stewart only had one boat interior in his portfolio; that of Ammonite, a Nordhavn 76 owned by Australian businessman Marcus Blackmore.

David Stewart’s work on the Nordhavn 76 Ammonite (above) brought him to the attention of the yachting industry.

Stewart’s work on that boat demonstrated his connoisseurial eye for the modern, tempered by a sympathetic understanding of a brand’s core design ethos. Ammonite quickly caught the attention of the yachting industry, not least Barry-Cotter, who was looking for someone to revamp the interiors of his entire model range.

“This time last year at the Sydney Boat Show I did the design review on the boats,” recalls Stewart. “The next thing I knew I was up to the factory and up to my ears in fibreglass dust and getting into it.”

One year later the results were causing queues at the Maritimo display at the 2011 Sydney Show. Maritimo owners and yachties new the brand filed through the Maritimo 53 and Mustang 50, admiring the space, the light and the impressive attention to detail. The big grin on Barry-Cotter’s face said it all.

“I think the overall impression has been that it’s a big step forward,” says Stewart. “It was definitely necessary to bring Maritimo interiors up to a world standard. Brands like Jeanneau and Beneteau are bringing in powerboats now as well as sailing yachts, and all with that European style. So it’s incredibly important for Australian manufacturers to bring their design – interiors in particular – up to that standard.”

Stewart is one of several Australian designers whose work in the yachting industry is helping to establish the country as a birthplace for innovative, attractive and highly usable boat design. In recent years Stewart and fellow Aussie creatives such as Sam Sorgiovanni, Anthony Starr, Peter Lowe and Jeremy Spear (not to mention household name Marc Newson, who has been dabbling in maritime design with iconic brands such as Riva have pushed Australian yacht design firmly onto the world stage.

A sign of good design is that it makes you ask: “why did no one think of that before?,”and in this area Stewart is a specialist. His new cockpit table design on the Maritimo 53 is a case in point: In its centre is a leather-wrapped panel that lifts off to reveal a bottle stowage compartment in the pedestal. It also features neat foldout leaves that open like a book, extending the table to a useful dining size. The table’s clean lines and stylistic motifs such as the grab rails being mounted on flat steel bars – rather than a traditional bent tube – bring a classic idea bang up to date.

“It’s a set up that’s come from the sailing yacht sector, motor yachts have never really picked up on it.,” says Stewart. “It works very well for both interior and exterior tables. We’re introducing it across the range.”

The cockpit table is just one of several clever design solutions that Stewart has brought to the Maritimo / Mustang range. While he takes pride in his work, he is quick to acknowledge the wider movement of Australian boat design of which he is a part.

“I think it’s fantastic to see the changes that are coming through,” he says. “It’s been driven by a market that is less traditionally focused – a younger generation that’s looking for open space. They don’t want to feel enclosed, they want a place of relaxation and freedom, something that allows a nice, social lifestyle.”

While boat design in Australia has risen to meet the demands of a new generation of owners and the high standards set by European brands, Stewart points out that certain country-specific aspects of Australian design make it unique on the world stage.

“In Australia we’ve been underrated for years as designers, and yet I think generally speaking Australian design is world class,” he says. “Mark Newson is an exceptional example; he is probably one of the most famous designers in the world now. And then there’s Hans Hulsbosch, Creative Director at Virgin Airlines, who is coming through now with a very different style, very clean.

“The other key thing about Australian design is the need to be very adaptable with our manufacturing. Our relatively small market means we never have the huge production runs that overseas designers have; everything we do has to be produced in a lower volume. The need to be able to produce things economically and in small runs drives your thinking all the time. You can’t afford to do major set ups for injection mouldings and pressings and other things you might otherwise think about.”

Stewart agrees there is one more factor unique to Australia that influences the design styles emerging from its shores – and that’s the climate. Wide open spaces, blue skies and that crystal clear antipodean light are great motivators for the clean, bright, open feel that characterises Australian design – and makes it perfectly suited to a yachting market more eager than ever to open its doors and let the sunshine in.

Jeremy Spear.

JEREMY SPEAR / SPEAR GREEN DESIGN
Spear Green Design (SGD) is a Sydney-based interior design and naval architecture firm founded in Sydney in 1993. Jeremy Spear heads up the marine design consultancy and has been designing marine interiors for commercial and private vessels for clients worldwide for over 20 years, for both refits and new-builds. Qualified in Industrial Design and Naval Architecture, Jeremy has a strong understanding of all of the technical issues associated with creating marine interiors and brings much experience to the team to create effective, functional, practical and beautiful spaces, with the emphasis on code compliance and lightweight fit-out.

“There aren’t any shortcuts or quick solutions in this industry,” says Spear. “There really is no substitute for experience. The design of a large yacht or passenger vessel is all about balance – a fine balancing act between technical, practical, functional elements, as well as the beautiful and elegant aspects – counterbalanced with the owner’s requirements, applicable rules and technologies.

Jeremy Spear of Sydney-based Spear Green Design has a lot of commercial clients, but his private commissions such as this wave-piercing catamaran (above and left) are not lacking in panache.

“This should be reflected in the abilities and experience of the entire design, build and project management team. It takes a lot of experience to be able to bring a project to completion in a commercially viable way. Much of the success of any project is in the detailing - no idea is worth much if it can’t be communicated or documented. Such required experience is generally built over many years spent in the industry and having being exposed internationally to a wide variety of projects along the way.”

SGD has recently completed projects for UAE, Oman, Italy, China and Australia, and is currently working on the exterior styling and bespoke interiors for a 58-metre wave-piercing catamaran. This six-star superyacht features a completely private owner’s upper deck with a 180-degree forward-facing panoramic view from the owner’s stateroom, side garages aft for tenders as well as a large submersible beach platform between the hulls. www.speargreen.com.au

Anthony Starr

ANTHONY STARR / BUIZEN YACHTS

Anthony Starr Yacht Design has been engaged by a number of name boat manufacturers and private clients to produce designs for new and refitted yachts.

From 2004 to 2009 Anthony was engaged by Warren Yachts to produce the designs for the S77, S87 and S120 Sports Yachts. In 2009, in conjunction with the Naval Architects Peter Lowe and Will Hardcastle, Starr was part of the team that designed the new Buizen 52, responsible for the superstructure, cockpit and deck layout.

Starr was then employed by Greenline Yacht Interiors based in Dubai for most of 2010 as the design coordinator for a number of superyacht fit-outs including a 50-metre Trinity in the US and the 60-metre Coco by Lurssens. He also consulted on Greenline yacht design projects in Hong Kong and New Zealand during this period.

The Buizen 52, an all-Australian ‘pocket superyacht’ designed by Anthony Starr.

Now back in Australia, Starr commenced the construction design drawings for the Buizen 52’s interior fit-out in late 2010 and subsequently joined Buizen Yachts as the Chief Designer and Fit-out Coordinator for the new 52 in March 2011. He is currently working on the Buizen 52 Pilot House sailing yacht, a custom-built ‘pocket superyacht’ finished to outstanding build standards, which is already generating keen interest among industry and owners.

“I always try and create something timeless, something that looks good now but will still look good in years to come,” says Starr. “I think there have been quite a lot of radical designs produced around the world in the past few years that have certainly been innovative. However, in my opinion they often lack timeless appeal and their style will potentially have an expiry date.”   
www.buizenyachts.com.au

Peter Lowe.

Peter Lowe / Peter Lowe Design
Between them Peter Lowe and Will Hardcastle have over 60 years of experience in the design and construction of vessels from 3.5 metres to 40 metres, and the company has been an integral part of the Australian boat building industry for over 30 years. Their projects include luxury motor yachts, high speed patrol craft, production yachts, racing yachts and production built power craft. For the past 20 years the emphasis has been on luxury and production motor yachts.

Peter Lowe Naval Architects projects include work on the Evolution 55, Crystal Lady, Salacia and the stunning Buizen 52 (see Anthony Starr).

Peter Lowe’s portfolio includes work on the design of Salacia, an Evolution 110 created by another highly successful Aussie designer, Sam Sorgiovanni.

“Our design philosophy is to just do the best job we can for the client within the parameters we are given, and to use our expertise and experience to expand on these parameters,” says Lowe. “We are always mindful that looks and style alone do not make a good design. All the elements of construction, performance, practicality, comfort and style should complement each other and come together as a whole.

“With the current world financial situation and the high value of the Australian dollar assisting imports, the local industry from a designer’s point of view does not offer much promise. Most of our recent work has been out of the country, and for the foreseeable future that is where we see the majority of our work coming from. “

Full story at peterlowedesign.com