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In its press releases,
the German shipyard Blohm + Voss uses the cryptic designation M-147 when
referring to a project that may one day become the world’s largest
megayacht. But around the yard and throughout the yachting community worldwide,
she is more frequently referred to simply as the Atabeyki Project; and
rightfully so, because her design concepts are the brainchild of the renowned
Paris-based designer Hermidas Atabeyki.
If built to her current
design of 147 meters (more than 482 feet) LOA, M-147 could rightfully
claim to be the world’s biggest privately owned yacht. But to portray
the project simply on the basis of size would be a gross injustice, for
the real story behind M-147 is not her dimensions; it’s the visionary
design concepts she has been endowed with that may become the next big
thing.
The story begins with
Atabeyki, an industrial designer who earned his degree from the Center
for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, then returned to France, where
he worked as a designer for Renault for six years. After opening his own
studio in Paris, he did projects for several major European car companies,
including Lamborghini. Then about five years ago, Atabeyki expanded into
other areas, everything from tram systems for mass transit in several
European cities to a line of sunglasses for Vuarnet.
About the same time
he began focusing on megayachts and came to the realization that virtually
all existing designs embody the same concept of space allocation. Almost
universally, yachts have their living spaces clustered in a center core,
encircled by walkways. Interior flow patterns are invariably fore and
aft, i.e., from the galley, through the dining area, through the saloon,
and out onto the aft deck. Along the side decks, guests must pass outboard
of those same spaces. Whether inside or out, guests and crew inevitably
traipse through or past someone else’s space.
Atabeyki was convinced
that there was a better way. Though entertaining and socializing are important
elements of yachting, he believes it is equally crucial that the owners
and guests have a variety of spaces where each can enjoy a measure of
privacy. Atabeyki’s vision was to design a yacht that offered several
thematically different spatial elements instead of long continuous decks—in
other words, replace the fore and aft flow with a series of spaces oriented
vertically and laterally.
Next page >
Part 2: Shimmering sunlight filtering through the
pool will illuminate the entry foyer four decks below. > Page 1,
2, 3
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