Rewarding excellence

REWARDING EXCELLENCE

Sustainability

is now one of the most important themes in the drive to save our planet, and it is an important area of interest for the yacht-building world. The issue was also the focus of attention at the 62nd Genoa International Boat Show, especially in the context of the Design Innovation Award. Now in its third edition, Confindustria Nautica and the I Saloni Nautici enthusiastically supported its introduction in 2020 to celebrate the event’s 60th anniversary. Its main aim is to promote excellence in the yacht-building industry by using the award-winning products to highlight the commitment shown by exhibitors at Italian and international boat shows with a successful background in research, innovation, aesthetic and technical quality, as well, of course, as sustainability.

Since it first took place the event has been organised with the support of Luisa Bocchietto, architect, designer, former president of Adi, Senator of the World Design Organization, sail yachtswoman and owner. Backed by her passion and experience in the yachting world and her prestigious career in design and architecture she has brought to bear all her experience in combining influences from a number of disparate fields.

“I was called in to give creative support to Boat Show’s new face, a sector that I’ve long been familiar with. I’ve always followed the Milan Salone del Mobile for work and the Genoa Boat Show for pleasure. Sailing is in my DNA: I’ve always had a boat and raced it. It’s a love with deep roots. I’ve been passionately interested in developments in the nautical world since

the 1980s, with a clear understanding of quality as regards both technology and interior design. This passion has also driven me, alongside the ADI (Industrial Design Assocation, which hosts the prestigious Compasso d’Oro award), to launch the marine components section to promote the industry and orientate it towards the ADI Index and

Mr. Saverio Cecchi, please, can you give us any previews of the next Genoa Boat Show, given that it will feature the new Waterfront?

From 2023 onwards the Boat Show will be able to take advantage of a new exhibition space, updated to international standards. This will give the area a new functional, spectacular layout, and will give the event a a further boost. It’s a project that’s all about excellence for an increasingly competitive event on an international level, with the introduction of new piers and the integration of over

An interview with Saverio Cecchi, the President of Confindustria Nautica

Innovation and aesthetic and technical quality are the criteria guiding the judges at the Innovation Design Awards event in Genoa. Sustainability is now also a key element when assessing design

by Désirée Sormani

Page opposite, all the winners of the Design Innovation Award and the jury, comprising Luisa Bocchietto, Senator World Design Organization, Giovanna Talocci, designer, Silvia Piardi, Director of the Politecnico di Milano’s design department, Andrea Ratti, Chair of M.Sc. Yacht & Cruising Vessel Design Politecnico di Milano and journalists Franco Michienzi and Nabil Farhat; president of the jury Donatella Bianchi, journalist and president of the Cinque Terre National Park. Right, the Gran Soleil 72 Performance by Cantiere del Pardo, which gained an award for its ability to combine the brand’s construction experience in a boat that is balanced in terms of sailing performance and the quality of its interior spaces

Left, the Sanlorenzo SP110,

the Compasso d’Oro. In 2020 the Genoa Boat Show asked me what we could do for the 60th anniversary celebrations and one of the ideas was to include a prize for accessories with extensive innovative content. They then asked me to draw up the selection rules and define the target for promotion. The idea was to create an independent, international award with a multidisciplinary vision that would not be linked to any organisation apart from the Boat Show”, says Luisa Bocchietto. “The focus is on sustainability, which for us is a crucial element in assessing good

150 berths. The transformation project, designed by architect Renzo Piano, is now in full swing. This futuristic concept will enable the Genoa Boat Show to offer a unique platform that can provide a showcase for the exceptional levels of excellence that distinguish the international yacht-building industry.

Are there any special initiatives emphasising sustainability, given its importance in the yacht-building world?

Sustainability and innovation are crucial elements in the industry’s future. They closely concern research and design, and define the quality and excellence of Italy’s pleasure sailing sector. Every year the Genoa Boat Show provides an opportunity

for the entire sector to take stock and present the latest products and ideas. One event in particular, the Design Innovation Award, highlights the best products and the commitment shown by Italian and foreign exhibitors who have stood out in the context of research, innovation, aesthetic and technical quality and sustainability. Are there any revamps in the pipeline for the Design Innovation Award? Any new features we can expect?

The Design Innovation Award is a key project for Confindustria Nautica and I Saloni Nautici, and it will be a focus of attention, with an eye to further development.

The most important new elements in the 63rd Genoa International Boat Show will be

revealed during the traditional introductory press conference held in May.

What is the award today and what does it aim to be in the near future? What developments are planned?

This year’s award is the fourth, reinforcing its objective to support yacht-building excellence and encourage innovation, promoting the image of exhibitors at the Genoa International Boat Show by enabling them to display their latest products.

The Design Innovation Award is a window for the wider public and the world’s media, and enhances the conceptual and developmental potential of designers and producers in design, research, innovation and sustainability.

recognized for its ability to innovate spaces, languages and ways of living the sea, evoking intense emotions

design. Design and innovation are linked to a correct relationship between form and function, and now sustainability plays a role, too. This also applies to innovation, from the point of view of materials technology and the functionality of certain components. Selecting the best products has been guided by criteria characterised by good design that also take account of form and functionality, which should exist in a coherent relationship. As said, another criterion is sustainability, which aims to promote, in all sectors, improvements in environmentally-respectful design and production. An international jury was set up, comprising seven experts from the among the winning exhibitors who have presented their innovative products and representatives from the worlds of yacht-building, journalism, universities or organisations from the sector,

Left, a view of the latest Genoa International Boat Show. This year the site will have a new look and new exhibition spaces following the Ligurian capital’s waterfront redevelopment plan. Below, left, the living area of the Ferretti 860, winner in the motoryachts above 10 metres category for the elegance of its exterior lines and interior design reflecting the quality that is the brand’s hallmark. Special mentions went to the Y7 by Y Yachts, and to the Excess 14 (below) for achieving sailing performance through a careful study of shapes and materials, and to the Indoor Air Quality Monitoring for Yachting system by Permare

an owner or internationally-renowned figure from the world of art, business or culture and a representative from the steering committee. Prizes were awarded to the winner in each of nine categories. There were also three special prizes, for innovation, career and talent and an honourable mention. And the winners, chosen from 88 candidates, were announced during the Gala Dinner at the Genoa Aquarium’s - the Dufour 37 in the sail yachts up to 10 metres, the Grand Soleil 72 Performance in the sail yachts over 10 metres, the Ferretti 860 in the motor yachts over 10 metres, the SP110 by Sanlorenzo Yachts in the superyachts, the Prestige M48 in the multi-hulls, the SQ 240i by Capoforte Boats in the small craft and the Rio Yachts Inagua S in the RIBs. The Lascala gangway by Besenzoni was the winning accessory, while the innovation award

went to the Betty Buoys system. The Y Yachts Y7, Excess 14 and the Indoor Air Quality Monitoring for Yachting by Permare all gained special mentions. “We’re pleased that this year, too, competitors from outside Italy have taken part”, says Bocchietto, “With the Genoa Waterfront redevelopment in full swing (see page 154) and the upcoming logistical revamp of the Genoa Boat Show (that will be from 21st to 26th September 2023) we’re sure that the Innovation Design Award will gain a higher profile. Sustainability will also take centre stage and communicated even more vigorously. Sustainability isn’t a fashionable buzzword, it’s a key criterion for assessing good design. We’re seeing a change in the development of a new approach, not a fleeting trend, and this will become even more obvious in the years to come, in the yacht-building sector, too”.

DESIGNERS OFFERED A NEW RECYCLABLE COMPOSITE

Fibreglass is used for a wide range of applications in sport and industry, but it can’t be recycled efficiently and is an environmental pollutant. It is used not only by yacht builders but also for the manufacture of wind turbine blades, panels, pipes, tubing, campers, furnishing and many other products. Because it costs so much to dispose of fibreglass correctly, yachts built using this material are frequently left abandoned at end of life, in fields, marinas and on the sea bottom. A study carried out by the EU on yacht tourism revealed 80,000 craft

were abandoned across the region, and only 20,000 were disposed of properly. The innovative start-up Northern Light Composites (https://northernlightcomposites.com/, nlcompTM) was created to provide an answer to this serious problem. Founded in December 2019 by three sail yachting friends, Fabio Bignolini, Andrea Paduano and Piernicola Paoletti, nlcompTM, based in Monfalcone, is involved in the research and development of recyclable composite materials for purposes such as sail yacht building. The start-up has developed rComposite™, the world’s first and only recyclable composite. The use of a thermoplastic matrix, natural or mineral fibres and an Atlas HPE core by NMG Europe means that the nlcompTM composite has low environmental impact and sustainable end-of-life. To demonstrate that the rComposite™ is a market-ready alternative, nlcompTM has built a 7.69-metre sail racer, the EcoRacerTM, carrying out tests under stress during the past year. EcoRacerTM is the first yacht in the world built using thermoplastic resin and linen fibre, and also has recyclable sails, an electric motor and solar panels. EcoRacerTMha won the 2022 Italian Minialtura Class Championship on Lake Garda, beating forty fibreglass craft. During its three years of operations the start-up has presented four prototypes in all, (EcoPrimus, EcoOptimist, EcoRacerTM and EcoFoiler), winning a series of accolades throughout Europe (Design Innovation Award, World Sailing Sustainability Award, Velista dell’Anno and Foiling Awards).

WIDER TARGETS SUSTAINABILITY

Work continues apace on the construction of the new Wider production facility, a hightech structure on the Fano waterfront that reflects the yard’s sustainability philosophy. The first craft to be built in the new centre, which includes 350 metres of quayside and a travel lift, will be the WiderCat 92, the first in a series of motor catamarans designed by Luca Dini and the Wider style centre. Equipped with the Wider series hybrid propulsion system, five units have already been sold. “The new yard will be a fullyfledged innovation centre”, says Marcello Maggi, head of W-Fin Sarl, the company that holds 100% of Wider’s capital. “This is where all our future yachts will take shape, together with new green technologies and new ideas from start-uppers, with an intense awareness of environmental issues”. The facility was designed by architects

Alessandro Massari and Mauro Cavicchi of the Architettura Massari Design studio in Fano. “The brief I received from Wider was to create a structure based on sustainable principles, with an exciting design and capable of providing the type of functional efficiency associated with modern yachtbuilding construction”, says Massari. The outline of the 14-metre high building is interrupted by generous glazed surfaces to allow natural light to flood the interiors. The roof will be covered by solar panels and the power these generate will help the structure to be practically self-sufficient. The slats covering the external walls are in a composite of bamboo fibre and 100% recyclable plastic materials (Wood Plastic Composite Bamboo) that is resistant to humidity and UV rays and does not suffer deformation or fading over time.