Sindalah. A name to remember, because pretty soon it’ll be on everyone’s lips. It’s not only an island in the Red Sea that’s destined to become the new yachting destination, it’s also a vision that rejects conventions to offer a new model of living space and lifestyles.
Of course, every new project, whether on land or water, always features distinctive, innovative content. This, though, is something new – the location we’re talking about is, in fact, an island. That should be enough to explain its significance, but there’s more, as Italy is playing a decisive role in the initiative. Development of the new design language has been entrusted to Luca Dini, and with the collaboration of his studio he has created something utterly unprecedented.
The Florentine architect and designer is a familiar figure in the world of yacht design, but this is his first experience in what can honestly be described as an urban planning project. “Sindalah is a combination of different facilities – three resort hotels, a golf club, a village with shops and restaurants and a yacht club that will be the island’s nerve centre. We’ve designed this area with the idea of creating something innovative that integrates a series of elements that includes unconventional shapes, bespoke materials and solutions developed with exceptional producers and artisans. Every design decision in the Sindalah project reflects a profound respect for the eco-system and the island’s surroundings”, says Dini in the exclusive interview we feature in this issue.
The environment is the issue underpinning the entire NEOM initiative, which Sindalah is a part of and whose objective is to project Saudi Arabia into the future, transforming this region into a world beater in terms of quality of life and sustainability. The involvement of Luca Dini Design & Architecture of Florence once again confirms the added value of what, in my opinion, can be described as Made in Italy ideas and creativity. It’s here that we can identify the reasons for the success of a school of Italian yacht design whose contribution has been crucial in developing a style that has become the hallmark of Italian megayacht production. The evidence is clear to see, for example, in the yachts designed by Zuccon International Project for Sanlorenzo and the new Gran Turismo and Sportivo lines developed for ISA Yachts by Enrico Gobbi, conceived using an entirely new approach described to us in an exclusive interview with the Venetian designer. (Here all our posts about TYD issues).
Matteo Zaccagnino
