Welcome to the special “20th Anniversary” section of Top Yacht Design. Here we present to you, day by day, the best stories, yachts, characters we have covered in these 20 years of Top Yacht Design, from 2006 to the present day.
Taken from Top Yacht Design no. 10/2017 pp. 108-113.
CRN Superconero 50: the future in the past
CRN has presented the Superconero 50, which harks back to its 1960s models.
Tradition and innovation form a twofold inspiration for the new yacht from CRN, a Ferretti Group yard and brand. Tradition because the name, Superconero, recalls the series of 23-metre Super Conero yachts of the late 196os. Innovation because the new 5o-metre Superconero, designed by CRN and under construction at Ancona, includes many unusual technical, developmental and design solutions. “The new steel and aluminium 50-metre Superconero is inspired by the success of tradition”, explains Simone Lorenzano, CRN’s project and after sales manager. “A second, extremely classic line is under development”. These influences are emphasised by the yacht’s elegant, streamlined bow, based on a new naval platform with an 8.60-metre beam.
“The balance between the generous interior spaces and the requirement to make the product as slender as possible create the strong element in the exterior design”, explains Gianni Zuccon, founder of Zuccon International Project and main designer of the new Superconero 50. “Our designs also feature large volumes, while the yard’s input was to offer a refined craft. The superstructure responds to these needs by establishing a harmony between hull, interior volumes and exterior spaces”.
And Lorenzano also highlights the exterior spaces. “Practically speaking, the interior volumes wouldn’t be out of place on a 6o-metre design, and the open-air guest areas are all different, pleasant places to experience. We’ve also provided ample technical spaces to meet the owner’s requirements”. Plus some significant design solutions. “For example, the fully-fledged balcony over the sea, which can be used while under way, the terrace, the large aft beach club and the floodable tender garage, a distinctive feature of CRN yachts”.
This solution required some sophisticated design. “To create a space in the hull to facilitate tender entry meant significant structural reinforcements and calculations involving the yacht’s stability when the garage is flooded. The same applies to the discharge systems, which can empty the garage in just three minutes”. This design and construction initiative eventually transformed a technical space into a generous guest area linked to the aft beach club, an interior Zuccon International Project has placed at the centre of the layout. “The distributive and functional nature of the spaces is based on two principles”, says Gianni Zuccon. The first involves all the spaces that are essential for experiencing the sea – the beach club, floodable garage, the various aft deck cockpits, the forward exterior space and the huge sundeck. The second is the interior spaces in all the variations the design offers. We have created a functional programme with at least twelve different solutions. Some are innovative, like the large space with kitchen at the entrance on the main deck, which also hosts a vast forward owner’s suite”.
The interiors are decorated in the owner’s preferred style – Art Nouveau. “It’s a difficult style”, Zuccon says, “In design and production, and will provide a further demonstration of the yard’s great skill and expertise”. On board the scene is set by lacquered and matt white oak, oak cabinetry with silver staining, different in every space, decorated with floral patterns and fabrics, as well various types of marble, including Dark Emperador.
“It was used for what we call the ‘chocolate fountain'” says Costanza Pazzi, project architect for CRN’s Interiors&Design office, which collaborated with Zuccon International Project in developing the interiors. “We created a flowing, sinuous decor for all the floors and ceilings. We also have White Lasa marble for the lower deck bathrooms and Calacatta Oro for those in the owner’s suite. In Zuccon’s words, “The underlying philosoph is based on a constant research for a formal, informal and distributive balance. Its lavout is shaped by a large family with a spirit of togetherness, people who want a shared experience of the sea. The community is more important than the individual on board this yacht”. The new Superconero 50 will be floated out at the CRN yard in early 2018.
by Emilio Martinelli
