This approach, together with the search for what Vallebona describes as “a surprise”, made its breakthrough in Sirena Superyachts when the Turkish yard decided to go beyond the 100-foot mark. “A relationship developed primarily on a human level. I like its youthful atmosphere. It means discovering something fresh, new opportunities and mutual growth”, says Luca Vallebona describing his collaboration with Sirena Superyachts, the yard for which he has designed a line of craft, with an intermediate 42-metre model currently under construction. (here all our posts on Sirena Yachts)
Luca Vallebona, a passion for innovation
He is one of the few yacht designers to make his debut with a 40-metre design, the Mondomarine F40, a yacht that went on to win the World Superyacht Award for its intriguing interpretation of on-board spaces with a two-level owner’s suite located on the upper deck. This startling but highly effective twist revealed that Vallebona’s talents lie not only in design. “I like working on something that’s never been seen before and finding interesting spatial solutions”.
The collaboration with Sirena Superyachts
“We’d already met at some boat shows and we hit it off at once. When they decided to build larger yachts they said they’d also like me to present a proposal. When they held a concept competition in 2021 they invited me to take part”.
The request by Sirena Superyachts to a number of designers took the form of a range comprising three lengths, 35, 42 and 50 metres, with a brief that included all the things today’s builders and owners demand – spaces, volumes and interior-exterior connections.
Luca Vallebona and an incredible exercise in style
“I decided not to submit a proposal for a yacht with small terraces and balconies overlooking the sea – all the others would do that. Instead, some time before I’d developed a solution involving a very unusual space that’s part of the yacht’s interior and exterior at the same time. It was a style exercise for an 80-metre yacht with a patio amidships. I tried to transfer the concept onto smaller yachts, resulting in an owner’s cabin without terrace or balconies but with a its own private exterior space a sheltered, reserved patio”.
An unconventionale space
The patio full of direct natural sunlight and with sides opening out onto the sea appealed to Sirena Superyachts and they chose Luca Vallebona and his ability to surprise. “Yes. They told me I created yachts that seemed totally normal but always included a surprise”. The surprise on board the new Sirena Superyachts is this unexpected space.
“In general the owner’s cabin on the main deck ends with a partition dividing it from the forward technical area. On the 42 and 50 metre models this partition doesn’t exist. In its place there are large windows looking out onto the patio. From the cockpit, from the aft external space you can see, through the saloon and at the end of the deck, another exterior space”. This new solution and visual effect complements other striking main deck elements.
“Locating the patio forward means that the closed main deck volumes were shifted aft. However, I also wanted to expand the exterior spaces, so I created a sort of passageway leading from the cockpit pool area to a dinette, a zone sheltered at the sides by sunscreens, and then the saloon. The spaces introducing an area are often minimised, but here the walkways leading to a saloon or a cabin are generous, adding value.”
Luca Vallebona, an essential style
Sirena Superyachts enhances the essentiality that is the central trait of Vallebona’s style. “I like to let lines run, to have as few as possible. Proportions are more important than lines. Yachts are made of proportions. That’s why I don’t like talking about car design. You can see everything from two metres away. With a 40 or 50 metre yacht you have to look at it from much farther away if you want to appreciate it in its entirety. So a lot of details, which I’d define as affected, don’t count for anything”.
This way of thinking forms the basis of the designs for Sirena Superyachts, and they include a further distinctive element. “The design of the long main deck windows evokes the profile of the iconic examples of sail yacht grace and elegance – the J Class. I try to create that feeling in the motor yacht world, too”. But that’s not all – the three new Sirena Superyachts, starting with the 42-metre, the first example of which will feature interior design by Hot Lab, will reflect another aspect of Lucas Vallebona’s design philosophy – an awareness of green issues.
“In general we think of green content in yacht building in terms of technology, the engines and batteries. I think it also means making the design less complex. Before “green” became a ubiquitous mannerism, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the father of rationalism, expressed the concept of “less is more”, and Jon Bannenberg said that “the straight line is the cheapest distance between two points”. So my yachts seek proportions that make them pleasant to sail and avoid pointless excess in the development of surfaces. The lines should follow the length and the horizon. And the yacht should age well. It should sail though time as well as across the seas”.
Emilio Martinelli
