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Designers use glass to make the great outdoors part of a yacht’s interior ambiance.
by Louis Postel
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02/01/2008
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A glass-enclosed skylounge or observation lounge that blends
seamlessly with the outside decks is another big-window strategy.
"It’s sort of a beach feeling inside; not so formal," says the
designer. Explorer-type yachts such as van der Velden’s Moonen 115 or Farmont 85
are the exception to the 150-foot rule of thumb "because they look a little bit
bulky already. Vertical lines are part of their profile. And these are getting
increasingly popular."
 Sampson designs with more glass than most. The jet
cockpit-inspired bubbles on the Hylas concept are just one example. (Click image to enlarge)
"Glass in yacht interiors feels so right to me," Sampson says.
"Glass is a semi-solid, almost a fluid, which catches and shapes light in so
many ways. It seems the perfect material for use in bright, sunny locations on
the sea. If you look at certain yachts, it’s like something back in time.
Conditions are not airy but are somehow still dark, and the windows are tiny
little things."
Having spent years converting the four-deck, 60.4-meter
Titan and supplying the interior engineering and construction for the
King of Norway’s yacht Norge, Sampson is tuning into a new generation of
clients who are calling for designs that are more car-like and jet-like in
window styling. They are not coming from generations of sailing tradition.
Willingness to compromise with the exigencies of the sea is "zero," according to
Sampson, and for many it’s their first time on the water.
"All the new fire protection rules and regulations for
megayachts often come as an ugly surprise," he continues. "There’s the feeling
that they have to look for ways around those regs. But for designers such as
myself that have a lot of commercial marine experience, the regs come as no
surprise. We accept that the windows have to have the same characteristics as
the hull around them, and [we] know how to make that happen."
Whether on motorsailers (top) or explorers (
bottom) the new owner generation requires the amenities of home, starting with lots of glass. (Click images to enlarge)
Moreover, when designing, one has to account for the hulls to
bend, which requires extra space for the window glass to adjust. One
manufacturing company Sampson recommends is Yachtglass, based in Dersum,
Germany. The company is a digitally proficient, high-tech firm, which happened
to have a booth opposite his at the Monaco Yacht Show. Yachtglass is bringing to
private yachts many of the techniques developed in the burgeoning cruise industry: cylindrically curved glass, chemically toughened glass,
fire-resistant glazing, bullet-proofing, curving, insulating and
wind-screening.
Though Sampson readily acknowledges that large yachts today are
less about floating hotels going from place to place and more about floating
parties availing themselves to privacy and security, he’s still uneasy about
banquettes along the windows of the salon.
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