Open Sea: hybrid giga yacht from Benetti

HYBRID GIGA YACHT

FROM BENETTI

“A Moving Palace of Glass”

One of three 100-metre-plus yachts built during Benetti’s “Giga Season”, the Luminosity truly redefines ocean-based leisure. More than 800 square metres of exterior glass is wrapped around the main decks, and three-metre high windows provide views of the changing landscapes. Uninterrupted by structure, they create what Benetti describes as “a moving palace of glass”, with capacity for 27 guests in 12 suites. Further enhancing the experience, a straight bow offers excellent seakeeping credentials, while a huge forward deck area gives guests a superb vantage point for cruising and relaxing. The main deck is a step lower, offering additional dining and social spaces, and being sheltered and shaded by the super-structure’s overhang. The wheelhouse is above this deck, and higher still is a secluded private deck leading towards a certified helipad capable of taking a Bell 429 helicopter, as well as the space and flexibility to accommodate two cars (including a Rolls Royce Phantom), a 24-foot sailboat and two motor bikes. At the stern of the yacht, individual decks offer different configurations for seating and relaxation areas. The Luminosity is 107.6 metres long with a beam of 17 metres, is constructed with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, and has a gross tonnage of 5,844. It is powered by an innovative hybrid propulsion system with dieselelectric engines and two ABB Azipods connected to a specially developed battery pack for “vibration-free navigation in total silence”. The exterior design is a collaboration between Zaniz Jakubowski, Andrew Langton and Giorgio M. Cassetta, and the giga yacht’s interiors are the work of Zaniz Jakubowski. Together, their objective was to create a “symphony of light”, with the defining characteristic being the vessel’s vast windows that flood spaces with natural light and provide a seamless connection with the outside world. A skylight at sun deck level fills the yacht with a longitudinal axis of light, cascading down a 18-metre staircase that extends through five of the yacht’s six decks – its polished steel and toughened glass “giving the structure a sculptural yet floating appearance”. Another dazzling feature of the Luminosity are visual artworks “that bring the natural rhythms and energy of the organic world into the heart of the yacht’s interior”. These include a visual panel of 370 square metres that stretches along the height of the main lobby stairwell and depicts a moving forest. In the main lounge area, interactive technology is present in the form of 264 white magnolia flowers sculpted in Corian resin on the aft wall, which open and close at varying speeds as a person passes by. Damien Hirst’s coloured circles are artistically expressed on the French limestone floor in the main deck lobby, Matisse’s collages have been used for inspiration for shapes throughout the yacht’s main saloon and lounge, and a configuration of hand-forged steel polished to a mirror that encloses a thousand Bohemian crystal bulbs illuminates the main lounge.

As for entertainment, the yacht has two 3.5-metre dishes to receive signals anywhere in the world, and fibre optic cables throughout the vessel. Where fibre optic cables are not appropriate for use, a Cat 8 cable is employed – “a cutting edge super-fast connection never used on a yacht of this size before”. Two racks on-board house servers for films and music, and a total of 74 top-of-the-range televisions (70 TVs plus four cinema projectors) are distributed throughout Luminosity, as well 10 intelligent mirrors including touch screen with multimedia and internet connection – plus 5G cables for future-proofing. Safety is paramount, with fire-proof and fire-retardant materials of a particularly high quality meeting the most stringent requirements, while a sophisticated medical centre can cater for unexpected illnesses and injury. Cutting-edge technology is highlighted by the Generation/ Propulsion Package, which is obtained by six generators of approximately 1,000 KW each. The electricity produced by the generators is managed electronically via a sophisticated and fully integrated power management system. The spare electricity is used to charge 36 tonnes of batteries, which are sufficient to run the vessel for 12 hours without generator power – “a huge convenience when at anchor with no shore power”.