The inauguration of Casa Sanlorenzo, an ambitious project by Sanlorenzo Arts, was not just a simple opening, but a true manifesto of the vision that is guiding the future of the shipyard. We sat down with Massimo Perotti, Executive Chairman of Sanlorenzo, and Piero Lissoni, Art Director of Sanlorenzo and the mind behind the building’s restoration, to gain a deeper understanding of this new reality. A place where art, design, and technology come together, with an eye always on sustainability.
Massimo Perotti: beyond yachts, an ecosystem of values
“Our goal with Casa Sanlorenzo is to offer a reference point for initiatives related to the world of Sanlorenzo Arts, an entity conceived with the aim of celebrating and supporting the union between art, design, and culture, where innovation and creativity can flourish without limits,” began Massimo Perotti, immediately outlining the scope of the project. It is clear that the ambition goes far beyond building excellent products: it is about forging a “deeper emotional bond with our customers, a sense of belonging to a family.” Casa Sanlorenzo, in fact, is designed as “a place where customers can enjoy an immersive experience in the world of the brand; it is not a showroom.”
Perotti then took us to the heart of Sanlorenzo’s technological revolution, choosing for the occasion, given the inauguration of Venice Climate Week, to bring the 50Steel Almax superyacht and its innovative Siemens fuel cell system to Venice. “The fuel cell is a combustion cell that produces electricity using hydrogen and oxygen,” he explained, recalling how this technology was already being used in military submarines 25 years ago. But transporting pure hydrogen on a 50-meter yacht would have been “almost impossible,” given the implications in terms of safety and cost.
The solution, Perotti revealed, is methanol: “What was the invention? Methanol. Because methanol is an element that transports hydrogen,” with the advantage of being able to be stored at ambient temperature and pressure. The process is ingenious: “By taking CO2 from the air, taking hydrogen and with a lot of energy sources that obviously have to be sustainable, green methanol is created.” This methanol is transported safely, like diesel fuel, and a Siemens machine on board “reforms” it, releasing CO2 into the air, but the same CO2 that was initially taken out. “So we’re not talking about zero emissions, but 100% compensation.”
Sanlorenzo’s commitment to sustainability is clear, with its “Road to 2030” initiative launched in 2021 with world-class partners such as Siemens, Volvo, MTU, and Caterpillar. “The second step will be bifuel engines, methanol and diesel, which we will install on a 50-meter yacht in 2027,” Perotti revealed, emphasizing Sanlorenzo’s pioneering role.
Piero Lissoni: architecture as an “exhibition machine”
The restoration of Casa Sanlorenzo was entrusted to the vision of Piero Lissoni, Art Director of Sanlorenzo, who transformed a 1940s villa into a museum, a veritable “machine for exhibiting.” “There was no intention, so to speak, to save a Venetian house that didn’t exist,” explained Lissoni, referring to the building as an “unpolished rough stone” that has been enhanced.
Lissoni highlighted the unique challenges of working in Venice, but above all the commitment to “zero balance” in energy consumption and water management. “This is a building that is zero-balanced in terms of energy consumption, so the windows, the glass, the way we made the ceilings, the floors, and the way we use energy and send energy back around,” Lissoni explained. Water purification has also been meticulously designed: “The water that comes out of our settling tanks will be pathologically flawless. I’m not saying you can drink it, but almost.”
An iconic element of the project is the glass staircase, “technically advanced and transparent,” which Lissoni wanted to be “a glass creature, as if it were a broken glass vase.” And then there is the bridge, also designed by Lissoni, which is not just a physical passageway, but a “cultural bridge, an ideal bridge,” connecting “different worlds: art, architecture, design, technology, research, poetry.”
Art, Culture, and Social Responsibility: The Future of Sanlorenzo
Casa Sanlorenzo is much more than an exhibition space. It is a “creative and cultural hub, a hotbed of ideas, not just a commercial venue,” which will host events, art exhibitions, and community gatherings. During Venice Climate Week, it hosted the “Sanlorenzo Talks,” a series of meetings dedicated to ecological transition and sustainable innovation.
Perotti emphasized the social responsibility of the yachting industry: “The yachting industry is a small portion, considered 0.2% of ship pollution,” but “from a social point of view, it is less acceptable” to pollute for pleasure than for necessities such as a hospital. For this reason, “we should make this effort before anyone else.”
The house will house the Sanlorenzo Arts contemporary art collection, featuring works by international and Italian artists, some of which have been brought back to Italy for the occasion. Perotti expressed his desire for these works to be “seen and not kept in a house where only a few close friends come for dinner.” For this reason, Casa Sanlorenzo will be open to the public, with daily visiting hours, to make it a cultural landmark in Venice. The hope, as Perotti said, is that “Venice will help us bring home San Lorenzo more easily, along with the people with whom we can create and have ideas.” A place where “the entrepreneur must give back,” a vehicle for the Sanlorenzo Foundation and for the development of new ideas.
With Casa Sanlorenzo, Sanlorenzo not only strengthens its position as a leader in the luxury segment, but redefines customer interaction, creating an experience that goes beyond the product, embracing art, culture, and a deep commitment to a more sustainable future.
Giacomo Barbaro
