A L U M I N I U M
I S S U E
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n° 3 0 •
ALU MIN IUM
2 0 2 2
ISS UE - n° 30 - 202 2 - € 10
[ MEGAYACHT ]
MOTOPANFILO 37M by Désirée Sormani - ph. courtesy of Azimut|Benetti
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A yacht that seems suspended in time, an example of classic design that embraces the future, created to reflect the tastes and lifestyle of contemporary owners. It carries in its DNA the genetic heritage of Benetti’s navettes from the 1960s, restating their well-bred elegance with generous light-filled spaces, a constant visual contact with the sea and above all a unique joie de vivre
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he Motopanfilo is no ordinary yacht and has to be experienced up close. Guests stepping on board have the impression they’re entering the body of a great whale. It’s a pleasant, all-embracing feeling, one of being sheltered in surroundings decorated in calm, relaxing colours. Everything to be expected from a yacht created to instil a sense of pleasure. “Communicating the joy of living is our fundamental aim”, says Giovanna Vitelli, Vice-President of the Azimut|Benetti Group. “The idea of having a yacht that enables you to enjoy a positive atmosphere expressed in a way that reflects modern times”. The origins of the Motopanfilo, a composite displacement yacht 37 metres long, can be traced back to the design of the Benetti navettes of the 1960s, restating their well-bred elegance. Not a straightforward restyling of a successful model, but an up-to-date project with a modern soul providing generous spaces that are in constant contact with the sea. The yard handled the conceptual design with an exceptional team - Francesco Struglia for the exterior lines and Lazzarini Pickering Architetti for the interior and exterior decks.. The external profile is one of refined, austere elongated forms with crisp, clean cut-outs and an elegance that does not rely on fashion. In fact, the yacht owes its essence to the past, enhanced by new stylistic and technological developments. The modern Motopanfilo offers generous, wonderfully bright spaces with large windows and wide terraces. This constant contact with the sea is a theme throughout, even in the interiors, reminding us we are on board a yacht, not inside an apartment. Claudio Lazzarini and Carl Pickering took this theme as a focus for their work, and although their original working environment is residential architecture they are always at ease in the yachting world – the Rome-based studio, winner of a series of awards including the Compasso d’Oro, has created iconic, highly successful yachts like the Wally B, Wallypower 118 and Sai Ram, again for Benetti. As we said, the interiors evoke the skeleton of a large whale whose ribs give rhythm to the space with architectural features recalling antique beams. Large lateral windows rather than walls define the space. The intention is to render the interiors totally open to the sea, a desire reflected in the mirrored surfaces framing the windows so that sky and sea seem to blend seamlessly and the spaces dilate. This architectural solution appears throughout the yacht, except for the grand saloon – here teak dominates, decorating the ceiling and floors. The ceilings create a vaulted effect that takes on a double curve towards the stern. A warm, much lighter shade has been chosen for the wood than would have been preferred in the past, evoking maritime tradition, as does the use of blue and white, presented in new shades. The lounge develops without interruption from the aft cockpit, forming a single living space. Almost all the furniture, like the bar unit, right, and marble-topped dining table, is designed by Lazzarini Pickering Architetti. The main deck is also the location of the owner’s suite, which is large enough to suit a 50-metre yacht. It features a walk-in wardrobe, office and bathroom with symmetrical twin washbasins fitting smoothly into their surroundings. The shower unit is wide and spacious. The cotton and cashmere bath linen is by Loro Piana, which has produced all the yacht’s bespoke fabrics, including exteriors and carpets. Four spacious guest suites are located on the lower deck, all sharing the theme of identifying the spaces according to their nature, deliberately leaving the curved shape visible and restating the stylistic element of the beams through an inversion of colours and materials. From the lobby a spiral staircase winds around a central shaft which, like the spine of large whale, links the two decks with the bright, elegant upper deck sky lounge. The exterior social areas are also immensely appealing, like the forward zone with its huge hydromassage pool and large sunpad, and the stern beach platform (which at the yard they call the Kennedy terrace because of the retro style evoked by the hood), a very elegant space that’s also very close to the water. The cherry on the cake is the observatory lounge, created in spirit of the age, recalling the crow’s nest on old sailing ships. “It’s a cosy, private spot where you can enjoy the starry skies or read a book”, says Giovanna Vitelli, “A place the first owner fell in love with immediately. It was such a strong emotion that as soon as he boarded the yacht he said he wanted to live there forever, with his wife”. It wasn’t hard to believe him! www.benettiyachts.it
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The profile of the Motopanfilo 37M has refined, austere forms with clear, crisp lines. Opposite page, the colour detail emphasises the superstructure design. Opening, the living area evokes the skeleton of a large whale, whose ribs give rhythm to the space with architecture recalling old-style beams. The elegant furnishing includes pieces designed by Lazzarini Pickering Architects. B&B Arne sofas and B&B Metropolitan armchair. The custom carpet is by Loro Piana. The portholes with their nautical heritage are Luce5 sources of artificial light made to an LPA design
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Left, the large forward swimming pool with sunpad. Below, the upper deck leads to the intimate, reserved observatory deck. Right, the owner’s suite and below, a guest cabin that follows the theme of identifying the spaces according to their function, deliberately leaving the curves visible and restating the stylistic theme of the beams through an inversion of colours and materials. In the cabin, the Metropolitain armchair by B&B and the table lamp IC Lights by Flos. All the furniture fabrics and upholstery are custom-made by Loro Piana
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Exterior Design Francesco Struglia
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n 2009 they asked me to propose a new line for the Classic series. The idea was to modernise the aesthetic of the previous Classics, using a contemporary formula that would evoke the history of the Benetti yard. It was very interesting to see once again that the aesthetics of these wonderful motoryachts were based on a centurieslong evolution of tradition and the knowledge developed by master carpenters. The Motopanfilo 37M is made for owners who recognise elegance and
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want to share it and enhance the beauty of the places they visit. It’s a design with links to the past, for the simplicity of its composition, well-defined volumes and the way it was developed, taking into account how the yard’s skilled workforce would relate to the project. Passion and work are an important part of this aesthetic. At the same time it’s the way the shapes interpret this constructive and technological potential, with hints of cutting-edge auto industry developments. I think the owners who bought the first examples will have been struck by this warmth and artisanal feel, which coexist with the finest nautical innovations currently available. The observation deck is one of the wonderful treats the yacht has to offer, and I’m very pleased that this feature is experiencing such
success. In fact it came about through observing at the lookout posts on several classic craft, but the aim was to create an exterior niche offering great privacy and intimacy, to share or use as an exclusive corner from where the yacht could seem to disappear. We managed to set it harmoniously into the overall design without disturbing the yacht’s sleek, soft lines thanks to the skilful collaboration provided by Benetti, a yacht builder of outstanding quality. They believed in this and many other suggestions, rendering them perfect. For the Motopanfilo 37M was a wonderful opportunity to work with illustrious names in the industry like Lazzarini and Pickering. I’d like to invite readers of The ONE Yacht & Design to visit it if they have the opportunity. In my humble opinion this entire collection of elements helps create a wonderfully balanced, comfortable experience.
Struglia has restated the powerful shapes of old-school styles and blended the hull and superstructure in a natural way to create a harmonic element. Opposite page, the yacht is an architectural shell that through a minimal supporting structure develops a design where light plays the dominant role
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Interior and Exterior Deck Design Lazzarini Pickering Architetti
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t was a very interesting experience. In the maritime world we’ve always worked with the owners – here, though, the commission came from the yard, which asked us to design a product that would appeal to a wide public. The brief was precise – to return to the yard’s origins, the Motopanfilo (it was Benetti who ushered in the era of romantic cruise yachts) For us it was a very intriguing proposal – nowadays most yachts look like apartments, they’ve entirely lost that maritime spirit. It’s essential to be able to make out the shape of a yacht. Following the hull lines is a useful ploy for opening out the space. So our design project started from the beams, the structural elements that span the yacht, the typical sail yacht ribbing that define the craft and are rooted in the collective imagination. Like the belly of a whale with its bones embracing the space. The second dominant theme was wood, a defining element of the yacht. This yacht has been almost deconstructed, without walls and teak floors and ceilings, creating embracing overhead curves. This enabled us to create a series of extremely significant details like the dual curves, masterfully created by the yacht’s skilled artisans. The beams also give rhythm and structure to the yacht’s architectural space, opening up a series of interpretational possibilities – we can reflect different personalisation requests by changing the materials. We deliberately set our residential experience to one side, although we did use the idea of continuity between interiors and exteriors, a fundamental theme for us in our residential work. As a result the aft cockpit, segueing into the interior living area, is almost a direct expression of this – two circular rugs and two circular conversation areas emphasise the connection. The fabrics, too, all by Loro Piana, establish this continuity, with no difference in quality between interior and exterior materials. We’ve also made the windows larger, inserting mirrored elements placed in such a way as to reflect the sea, sky and wake rather than the person. The classic portholes have been restated and transformed into wall lights. We designed almost all the furniture, with a limited selection of materials – wood, leather, lacquer and steel, with tranquil colours and the traditional blue. The yacht should breathe serenity.
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Above, the upper deck skylounge merges seamlessly with the exterior, with Loro Piana custom carpet and B&B sofas. Opposite page, Claudio Lazzarini and Carl Pickering; bottom, a view from bow to stern of the owner’s suite with office that precedes and leads into the cabin
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Right, the soft lines of the stern falling away to sea level. When needed this area can be transformed into terrace furnished with Braid Maxim directors chairs, loungers and footstools, a truly romantic spot with a vintage-style sunshade hood
The Shipyard Giovanna Vitelli, Vice-President Azimut|Benetti
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e didn’t want a nostalgic design, we imagined a yacht rooted in the past but looking towards the future. Projects go well when ideas are sharply defined, and the concept we had in mind was clear – a timeless yacht, a historic Benetti, but one that’s extremely contemporary. We call it the 21st century Motopanfilo. Some elements were clear to us, in the briefing we passed them on the design team, leaving the designers to offer their interpretation. First of all we wanted the boat’s interior volumes to feel like a those of yacht, with spaces that mean the yacht could never be mistaken for an apartment. We wanted the lines and spaces to evoke the maritime tradition. We wanted a few, iconic lines – if you look at the yacht’s central section it has the powerful stylistic traits of our old Gabbiano. We wanted to create the mood of joie de vivre that characterised the 1960s, the parties, high society, evoked everywhere in combination with a contemporary lifestyle. This translates into large windows (which didn’t use to exist) and a stern that develops into a modern beach platform while retaining the classic lines. The observatory lounge, too, expresses the spirit of that age…I imagined a European and North American yacht, inspired by a mature, sophisticated market that was also aware of nautical history. The favourable reception has been reflected in sales figures, helping us realise the Arab world, too, loved it. Many liked the interiors with their maritime feel, the beams and the skylight, which emphasise the nautical construction, the teak and the colours that are true to the nautical style. Five units have been sold so far and a further two should be on the way. Comfort is the dominant theme on this yacht, so we’ve also invested a great deal in technology, to reduce noise and vibration. All the lower deck spaces have been built using a system we call “box in box” – in other words, flooring, walls and ceilings form what could almost be described as a floating capsule. As a result the yacht can sail during the night without disturbing the owner’s sleep. Our attention was focussed on cutting fuel exhaust emissions. To lighten the yacht, give the yacht greater stability and reduce consumption, the upper deck hard top is in carbon fibre. The engine room ventilation shafts have been shifted to the exterior to provide the saloon with air and space. All these improvements combine to create a yacht that communicates a pleasant, embracing warmth and joie de vivre.
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