Meeting… Rottet Studio As Rottet Studio nears its 100th design for Viking, the firm’s Founding Principal Richard Riviere explains how the relationship has evolved and why Norwegian culture has been key. Words: Ben Thomas
PROFILE Richard Riviere Founding Principal Rottet Studio
With over 30 years of design experience under his
Tell us about the journey to 100 designs for
belt, Richard Riviere knows a thing or two about
Viking Cruises...
shaping hospitality environments. So when the
It’s a bit of a hyperbole, but the concept is true
Having joined Rottet Studio as Founding Principal in 2008, Richard Riviere now leads the firm’s West Coast and Asia divisions from its office in Los Angeles.
Texas native stepped into the marine sector to
as ships tend to be built by class, with many
collaborate with Viking a decade ago, he tapped
considered sister vessels of others that are of the
into his expertise in brand building to help the
same type in the fleet. When we started working
cruise operator develop a visual narrative for its
with Viking, the group had 11 river ships of
fleet of river and ocean vessels.
various styles, and since then, vessels have been
With a focus on brand building, Riviere’s design approach looks to visually reflect the culture of the client, placing particular emphasis on bridging the gap between brand-in-concept and brand-in-life. Recent Launches: Viking Octantis; Viking Venus; Viking Saigon Upcoming Launches: Viking Mars (2022); Viking Aton (2022); Viking Saturn (2023)
Since then, Riviere has worked closely with
created as prototypes for a particular function
Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen to design
or location and we construct several of each. To
over 50 ships, from the 930-passenger Viking
date, the largest class is the longships in Europe;
Star in 2015 to the more recent Viking Polaris
there are over 60 of these and changes primarily
expedition vessel, which are characterised by a
occur in size to cater for different rivers and
contemporary Scandinavian style that reflects the
conditions. Viking also has ocean cruise liners –
company’s heritage.
eight sailing today with more under construction
It is this pared-back aesthetic – think clean
– and a series of purpose-built vessels for river
lines, natural woods and muted colours – that
cruising. More recently, the group launched the
has earned the group a reputation for offering
first of two expedition ships, with the second
more of a hotel-like experience, with Riviere’s
debuting later this year. Each project we do is a
hospitality background and Hagen’s Norse
design with subtle differences, so if we were to
heritage coming together to create a sense of
add them all up, 100 is not far off.
calm that is echoed throughout the public spaces and guest cabins. According to Riviere, the consistent design
034
Does Viking give you a specific design brief to work to for each project?
strategy will continue aboard forthcoming ocean
The brief is always to support and grow the
vessels such as Mars, Neptune and Saturn – a trio
portfolio that we helped create. Our partnership
of ships joining the portfolio within the next year
is less about moving from project to project and
– as well as on purpose-built vessels for the Nile,
more about the continuity of building a brand.
Mekong and Mississippi, which draw inspiration
The first venture we embarked on together – for
from Viking’s longships in Europe.
the longships in Europe – was a discovery process
