THE ZERO DESIGN STORY

Like the black-browned albatross that inspired the feathered boot stripe carved into her metallic blue hull, Zero is a yacht that exists in solitude. For six years, a tight-knit group – led by extraordinarily visionary owners – has pushed the design and build of a pioneering all-electric sailing yacht into uncharted territory. A fresh approach to renewable energy management. A new understanding of what it means to be sustainable. And an original take on how to wrap holistic design around the owners’ needs. The role of Dutch studio Vripack Yacht Design, which penned the interior and exterior, as well as technical design in collaboration with Dykstra Naval Architects, was to translate these requirements into a comprehensive and elegant design language underpinned by state-of-the-art technology.

Vripack is renowned for its holistic design, but Zero redefines the boundaries. As a first of her kind built around energy generation, not consumption, “it all began with the technology, but we knew she also had to be beautiful,” says Marnix Hoekstra, Vripack’s co-creative director. By that, he means a classically good-looking sailing yacht with myriad contemporary design solutions woven into the very fabric of the yacht.

First came the sustainability driver – the ability to sail in comfort for up to two weeks solely on renewable sources without using fossil fuels using uniquely designed regenerative systems, including turbine propellers for hydro-generation. Input from Emirates Team New Zealand America’s Cup syndicate to refine the hull for peak sailing performance resulted in a distinct topside curvature that, according to CFD tests, delivers a 2.5% gain in speed – providing an 8% increase in electric power generation. Covering the biminis is 100sqm of PVT (photovoltaic thermal panels) producing both electrical energy, and thermal energy used to heat and cool the yacht. It’s underpinned by a 700-volt DC grid and monitored from a mission control room.

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