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IBI Yachts collaborated in the first Design Week of Santo Domingo offering an attractive conference on Nautical Design in the Monument to Fray Antonio de Montesinos, on the Colonial City of Santo Domingo.

Directly from Italy, Francesco Struglia and Michele Guerrieri, are two appreciated Yacht Designers associated with the Azimut | Benetti Group that, sharing with a very interested audience, explained how it was born and how the extraordinary creative process of these wonderful luxury boats is developed.

Francesco Struglia

Of Italian descent, Francesco has been working and researching for the yacht construction sector since 2005. He had the pleasure of working for the Zuccon International Project, Omega Architects, the Azimut Yachts Technical Department, and is now a design consultant for the Azimut | Benetti Group

During his presentation Yacht Design Creative Process, Struglia says: “I take my inspiration from fashion and cars, with whom, in my work, we have in common the highly technological and always innovative language. There is always a great innovation in design. In particular, the American market needs different solutions (to the European one) since fundamentally what is different is its way of living the boat.

The structural concept in nautical develops in the creation of spaces emphasizing the areas where you can share, much more livable environments and functional and elegant outdoor spaces.

Nature inspires a lot the creation of my design but I understand the importance of the Designer’s work being developed in parallel to that of the Engineer: the aesthetic part can be changed but what is fundamental in a ship is the technical, structural part. Putting the structure of the lighter ship saves fuel so there is also greater preservation of the environment. The use of materials where there is deep scientific research behind to reduce the impact with the environment. ”

Michele Guerrieri

Also an Italian designer who currently works in house for Benetti Yachts in one of his shipyards in Viareggio and Livorno. He has worked for the Italian giant since the 1990s.

Guerrieri presented Yacht Design: Benetti as an example of Made in Italy and said: “In the case of very large and very special ships, I work closely with the client to whom I offer the absolute customization of all its parts. They are very special clients who have a lot of privacy and little time. So you need to make the most of your information, interpreting their tastes and expectations. It is necessary to devise well the different spaces, each one destined to its occupants (owners, guests, collaborators, employees, etc.). Many times ships of these types are designed about 2 or 3 years before they can truly be delivered. Exterior areas designed with great attention. There are elements that originally had a structural function and that today, with the evolution of construction techniques and the possibility of making more modern structures, have remained only as aesthetic elements: time may have changed the style but the origin is always the classic.

The basis is always creativity: all the elements are designed manually and every detail ends with just reflecting the character of the client.”

The Yacht Design is a very particular element, in which luxury translates into relaxation and serenity. The secret is to translate the emotions and desires of the just client into structures that associate personal style and functionality.

Information and pictures courtesy of IBI Yachts

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