Feadship concept design Pure

Feadship is renowned for its ability to create pure custom superyachts for clients that meet their every desire. But what would happen if its designers and innovators  developed a #yacht that blended the immense experience gained from working for owners with the boldest visions that have yet to see the light of day? A #feadship with the cleanest possible architecture, ready for next-generation #yacht control and clean propulsion, designed for unadulterated enjoyment. The result is a #feadship concept #design that despite the name could actually be built today… The result is the 81.75-metre Pure. 

Designed to inspire the next generation of owners, the first #feadship Future Concept was unveiled in 2006. Since then, the fortune tellers at #feadship have consistently emboldened people to reimagine what is possible in the #superyacht world. The hybrid propulsion predicated 
on F-stream in 2007, for instance, set the tone for the radical fuel consumption reductions unveiled on Breathe in 2010. And all this was then uniquely proven in practice on the #feadship Savannah five years later, which was the world’s first luxury motoryacht with hybrid power. 

Further still

Other prescient concepts have inspired #feadship clients to break new ground in areas such as eco-friendly #design, multi-functional spaces, outdoor entertainment, slender hulls, privacy, autonomous living and all-glass superstructures. While each was based on client feedback, 
brainstorm sessions and in-depth research, the newest member of the #design portfolio goes a little further still, as designer Jan Schaffers explains…

“At #feadship we are used to designing totally bespoke yachts for clients with every aspect driven by their individual desires. Pure synthesises all the know-how gained in recent times over the types of spaces and exteriors which owners ask for in the purest way possible, following the red thread of these wishes. Many of us are inherently reluctant to truly explore what our actual needs are and Pure takes a deep dive down this path. To slightly paraphrase the famous Steve Jobs quote, ‘people don't always know what they want until you actually show them.’

“Pure is not, however, a flight of our collective fantasy. From the awesome open-plan spaces to the future-compatible propulsion and lower deck command centre, the Studio De Voogt #design team have worked closely with the Knowledge & Innovation department and engineering experts at #feadship as well as current and new suppliers to ensure each solution proposed is realistic and would actually work in practice now.”

Lines of connection

The essence of Pure is the unparalleled visual and social connections offered by her open onboard architecture and three-deck atrium, a feat which is very challenging to achieve on a #yacht.  From structural integrity to fire & safety regulations, all the parameters involved have been meticulously calculated. As futuristic as it may look in the renderings, the #feadship yards could actually start building Pure tomorrow.

The technical key to making the #design work is the two central elements around which the rest of the #yacht can be built, not dissimilar to the way tower blocks have large elevators and stair shafts at their core. These structural components are also home to the main deck bar (port) and main staircase (starboard), serve as the fire and mandatory zones, incorporate the casings and offer discrete crew routing. The development has even gone as far as to include contrasting textures for inside and outdoor facing surfaces.

Inside out

With this essential structural and practical foundation in place, the creators of Pure have certainly made the most of the myriad possibilities on offer. As anyone who has seen recent triumphs such as Pi, Zen and VIVA will testify, #feadship has chalked up some remarkable #design achievements in deploying giant slabs of glass as part of the exterior structure. Pure now does the same with the interior, with glass becoming an interchangeable aspect of the space. 

Located half inside, half out, an extraordinary elliptical glass atrium connects all lines of sight across three decks. The way the giant glass facade cuts through adds to the sense of connection with each other and the environment, and together with the flood of light makes the 
whole boat feel open. At the same time, owners and guests can always find privacy in retreats like the balconies – one with a jacuzzi, the other with seating – which close off with glass doors. 

“We set out to create a perfectly balanced interior with incredible spaces for everyone,” adds Schaffers. “Exceptional views are available from wherever you stand along with a sense of wonder about how the spaces are actually working that stimulates you to explore. We developed this #design with a mix of joy and tenacity, determined to adjust every angle until it works to perfection. This is an environment which is equally suitable for hosting amazing parties or displaying exciting art collections. Pure is a place for all seasons and all people.”

Windows to the world

All these sensations and much more besides are hidden from onlookers because Pure is as solid on the outside as she is open on the in. Minimalist at first glance, the profile is decidedly sculptural with a remarkably strong character. The lines are drawn as simple as possible in 
order to generate an air of calm. They merge seamlessly with the volumes – which make the #yacht instantly recognisable from afar – and some highly finessed twisted surfaces. A set of underwater anchors avoid the need for pockets in the side while the windows are genuinely 
flush, a significant factor that sets #feadship ahead of the curve according to Bram Jongepier, senior specialist at De Voogt.

“Many yards claim to offer flush windows but in fact have a small offset of four to five centimetres, leaving about one centimetre in tolerance. Starting with the build of Venus, launched in 2012, #feadship redefined the meaning of ‘flush’. Our windows have no offset to the 
surface, giving a tolerance of around the millimetre mark. And on Pure we’re moving the dial further by baking a pattern on the glass using a ceramic composition called frit. This is black on the inside like a tinted window – enabling those on board to see out – yet white on the outside so people cannot look inside. The colour scheme matches the overall sculptural shaping so the windows are virtually imperceptible from the outside unless you are very close up.”

Taken as a whole, the negligible amount of exterior detailing generates an optical illusion and a loss of one’s sense of scale. Approaching Pure’s stripped-back exterior, guests will be unsure of how large the #yacht is, further enhancing the deep magic when they discover the spellbinding space that lies within. A little like Lucy entering Narnia for the first time…

A brief tour of Pure

As this is a concept, let’s also go through the wardrobe and see what else might be found on Pure should she come to pass. The first point to emphasise is that this #design has five decks, with the tank deck counting as a fully functioning part for reasons that will become apparent once we turn to the propulsion. Entering via the main deck, the wow factor is profound as you take in the multiple layers – from the shaft of light emanating from the sun deck above (reminiscent of the Pantheon perhaps) to the cascading views over the beach club below. 

The sun deck itself features a large jacuzzi forward with fire pits, an amidships bar zone and a dining area aft with seating surrounding the giant elliptical skylight. In addition to this visual connection with the interior there is a direct link to the owners’ deck below. Here the aft lounge is in turn coupled with the atrium in a spectacular way, with the owners having the option to walk around this glass edifice and survey all they see. The expansive master stateroom is in a prime position forward, making the most of the fact that Pure has no conventional wheelhouse. Another private jacuzzi nestles into the foredeck, offering a perfect haven for the owners. 

This latter option is made possible because the main deck foredeck is home to two giant tender garages, with the craft being launched via the sides of the vessel. The rest of the main deck is completely open with dining and lounging facilities strategically placed for the best views. Moving aft, the effect of the light shining down on the swimming pool area below is dazzling. Direct access to the beach club is via sweeping curved stairways and the entire area can be opened up when at anchor with three giant hatches stern and both sides. There is a retractable glass-bottomed Jacuzzi amidships and occupants of the lower deck guest suites will not have far to walk to enjoy a truly memorable experience suspended above the sea.

So where’s the wheelhous?

There’s something else located on the lower deck that is sure to raise an eyebrow or two. For as readers may have realised by now, Pure does not have a bridge deck. She doesn’t need one either as the #yacht is controlled from a concealed Command Centre from where everything is simulated and displayed on screens. The information required to drive Pure will come from all kinds of sources such as radar, AIS, maps, depth sounders and cameras strategically placed around the #yacht. This data is all combined, then presented using smart augmented reality visualisation.

The #feadship Foresight programme provides further assistance to the captain and crew with regards to situational awareness, motion prediction, routing, on-board comfort and finding the most fuel-efficient way to travel between locations. Foresight is connected to an online server which generates bespoke high-resolution forecasts of wind, sea and swell, including in relatively sheltered areas. 

When visual lines of sight are essential for the crew of Pure, stairs lead directly up to wing controls on the owners’ deck, with another helm station on the sun deck being accessible via the amidships stairway. “We recognise that the Command Centre is a controversial proposal that may lead to resistance, but such solutions are already common on subs and naval vessels,” says Jongepier. “Superyachts revolve around their owners and many prefer to have a forwardfacing stateroom with panoramic views in the place where a wheelhouse normally is. Placing the bridge higher up impacts the profile. The Command Centre is a viable solution and at #feadship we see this as a big topic for discussion within the industry.”