The search for novel ways to use glass on superyachts has been underway for decades, often driven forward – as was indeed the case with SYZYGY 818 – by owners seeking the same facilities in glass as their land-based residences. Feadship has set the standard across the spectrum of glass design, construction, engineering and naval architecture as swiftly as technology will allow…And sometimes faster, insisting that those behind new technologies catch up with the wishes of our clients.
Profiling power
The most transparent example of the escalating use of glass is obvious for us all to see in exterior profiles. While the average percentage in 1960 was around the seven per cent mark – small windows placed with a significant distance in between to ensure strength – this figure had almost doubled by 1990 as windows grew larger, moved closer together and played an infinitely greater role in the exterior aesthetic of yachts. Designers had a big role to play in this, with the most obvious pioneer being Jon Bannenberg. He was already pushing Feadship to the limits of the possible back in the early 1980s with Azteca and Paraiso, both of which had a ridiculous amount of glass for the time, including glass-roofed solariums on the top deck. By the time Bannenberg completed Siran in 1991, his magnificent seventh (and last) Feadship, the spectacular laminated glass windows were reshaping everyone’s ambitions.
Milestones passed
Fast forward two decades to a new generation of trailblazers in glass like Musashi and we can see that, while the design of the curved glass has evolved, it’s deployment still has clear echoes of Siran. Musashi and her sister Fountainhead passed the milestone of having over twenty per cent of their exterior profiles in glass. It says much about the accelerating pace of progress in this area that by 2019 SYZYGY 818 had topped the 29 per cent mark, with no less than 97 per cent of the owner’s deck superstructure being made of glass. We’ll examine how Feadship reached this stage of expansion later, but first a quick word to the wise for fans reading this who know every detail of their favourite Feadship, and for the owners who have themselves partnered with Feadship to help propel the glass revolution. There’s no way to cover all the pioneering applications seen with glass in one article and this is just intended to give a broad sweep of some of the highlights as an impression of the pace of development.
Why glass?
It is also worth reminding ourselves of why we fit glass in the first place and how much these reasons shape its use both literally and figuratively. Glass can serve as a transparent barrier against everything but visibility, including temperature, wind, water, sunlight, noise, smell, fire, gravity and last but not always least, people. The number one motive for having windows, skylights and portholes/hull windows on a yacht is obviously to bring the outside world in. That’s the same in our onshore homes but the big difference with yachts is that they take us to spectacular locations that we like to view without necessarily having to step off-board. And, of course, nothing quite beats gazing at those wide expanses of ocean as you cruise. Small wonder then that more and more owner’s staterooms have full length glazing so the inhabitants can wake up and view the best panorama possible without having to leave their bed. The owner of Predator went further (and started another trend) in 2008 when he requested an opening glass hatch over his bed. This was easier said than done as Lloyd’s wanted many restrictions to assure it was safe, but Feadship managed.
Hull holes
You can just imagine the faces at the certification bureau several years on when Feadship shared the owner’s plan for Hampshire II (2012) to have a onemetre- plus-diameter viewing port in the bottom deck wine cellar, kickstarting the age of using glass in the hull. Designer Ed Dubois introduced hull windows without deadlights on Como (2014) and Kiss (2015), while waterline windows were taken to new lows with the underwater Nemo Lounge on Savannah (2015), revealing the amazing sights of the oceanic world outside. The bow windows on Venus (2012) are strong enough to plough through the sea but even that was not the most complex achievement on a Feadship built for an owner determined to use glass in many groundbreaking ways. With an area of 25 square metres per pane and three of each side, the glazing of the all-glass pavilion deck was an incredible feat that included dispensing with mullions to ensure nothing distracted from the panoramic vistas. Venus also stood out for the way her vast main deck stateroom windows were made completely flush. Even the most flush-looking yachts normally have 20 to 30 millimetres offset into the superstructure surface, which is virtually invisible from the distances at which a yacht profile is admired. Removing even this fractional difference required three full 3D scans of the entire yacht (the original metal, post-faring and after the faring was corrected). In retrospect such a solution is only for the ultra-purist of design purists, which the owner of Venus certainly was: while technically feasible, the costs are – perhaps quite rightly – rather prohibitive.
Exterior elements
Another client making unheard-of demands in the use of glass was the owner of Blackhawk way back in 1971. This was the first Feadship to have a closedin aft deck and, as glass strength has allowed, many Feadships have used the material for windbreak doors on the outdoor decks, ensuring that these very necessary structures don’t interfere with the profile, especially when seen from a distance. The same applies for the way glass is used for other exterior elements. In 2002, for instance, Olympia was given a completely transparent stairway on the boat deck aft to remove any sight barrier from the glass-walled lounge. The low glass railings on Arrow (2020) serve the same purpose while accentuating the sleek lines of the yacht as a whole. Many Feadships played a part in the exponential advances made with glass doors over the years. Openings onto the aft decks became ever more expansive until they covered the full width, and then started folding back. Other areas of the yacht also benefitted from new techniques. Lady Britt (2011) has sliding glass doors on all four sides of the sun deck indoor bar while the bridge deck gym on Lady S (2019) has the largest sliding doors installed on a yacht to date (and a glass floored wing balcony for looking down alongside the boat). Style matters Glass is also more and more an integral part of styling, contributing to the seemingly floating superstructures on the likes of Savannah. Royal Romance (2015) has a spectacular glass stern and infinity pool – see Lady Christine (2010) and Hasna (2017) for similarly superb examples of the latter. Glass has long been a feature of pools on Feadships, starting with the glass-walled plunge pool on Al Riyadh in 1978. An outstanding recent example is Faith (2017), with her revolutionary nine-metre swimming pool made of glass panels that also form the ceiling of the beach club below. The pool on Lonian (2018) also has a translucent bottom for the same deck-connecting reason.
Holistic thinking
Talking about the holistic design potential of glass, the wonderful ‘winter gardens’ created on Joy (2016) make it easy to extend the indoor environment by opening the glass doors on to the main, owner and bridge decks aft. These air conditioned outdoor-in zones are part and parcel of the fundamental leitmotif of blending exterior and interior spaces, and a reminder of how the use of glass in the exterior can have major implications for the interior. Feadship has operated a continuous research programme since the turn of the millennium focusing not just on the use of very large glass panels and the deployment of glass for strength, but also the influence that glass has on comfort levels inside a yacht. For instance, giant glass panes/walls have a major impact on the routing of ducting, piping and electrical cables. A layout concept has been developed with a structural core containing stairs, ducting and technical spaces similar to buildings. This central core keeps all outside walls free from grills, lockers or structural elements. To ensure a good climate when larger windows are fitted, Feadship have also established a separate ventilation solution to supplement the normal airco. Designed to avoid further heat from the windows and condensation, line grills on the floor and ceiling guarantee a constant air flow in front of the windows. Noise in general and room acoustics in particular has also been explored and special provisions on the outer walls and ceilings dampen sound to a value comparable to a normal interior.
Inside stories
There are also a glittering array of examples of glass being used to mesmerising effect within the interior of many Feadships. A pioneer in this respect was Circus II (1983), where glass was the predominant material, including a transparent floor to the upper deck. The extensive use of mirrors heightened the magical ‘Alice in Wonderland’ effect. Over the decades Feadship has built some fabulous glass elevators on the likes of Lady Marina (1999) and Blue Moon (2005). April Fool’s eclectic oak and cherry interior included an exceptional glass central staircase (2006), Space (2007) showcased the beauty of illuminated glass steps, while Symphony (2015) was one of a number of Feadships to feature glass floors (in her case in an aptly named observation saloon). The owner of Tango (2011) was so proud of his propulsion package that he had the entire engine room corridor made of glass. In recent times glass has been fire-rated for use in saunas, galleys and staircases, served as watertight bulkhead windows, offered switchable privacy functions and been used to demist wheelhouse windows. The biggest shift has been to consider glass as part of the structure rather than having loads carried by the window frames and superstructure around it. As glass forms an ever-larger part of a yacht’s exterior,
