May 20, 2020
Design inspiration is all around us, from a three-jointed bird’s wing to the powerful thrust of a shark’s tail. When Dutch design studio Vripack set about designing Futura – its 66m fossil-free yacht concept – the focus was to capture wildlife’s innate ability to freely propel through air and water.
“That’s the beauty of naval architecture,” says co-creative director Marnix Hoekstra. “First and foremost, you should mimic nature in the sense that you use as little energy as possible when crossing through the waves. We were driven by that goal from the outset.”
With sustainability at the fore, Futura is slender, efficient and a third of the height of a comparable 66m yacht. Her flowing, curvaceous lines denote elegant femininity that draws from a collection of shapes found in nature. An aerial view of the cocoon-like superstructure reveals a streamlined bow and a rounded middle, like the silhouette of a whale. Made out of glass, it is also exceptionally lightweight thanks to Vripack’s engineering ingenuity that uses rhombus-shaped framing. The result is a cross-hatched diamond effect, much like fish scales.