TwistedSifter

WHY (Wally Hermès Yachts) is the stunning result of a joint venture signed in June of 2008, between the ultra-expensive luxury brand Hermès, and one of the world’s premiere yacht builders, Wally. Certainly one of the most radical boat designs I’ve ever seen, WHY defies all convention. Costing an estimated $150.8 million usd, we can only hope a splashy billionaire takes the plunge and orders one for production. Anyone have Roman Abromovich’s number handy?

WHEN PIERRE MET LUCA

Pierre-Alexis Dumas, Artistic Director of Hermès recalls: “When we met in autumn 2007, Luca Bassani Antivari, President of Wally, had thought about asking Hermès to accessorise the interior of one of his boats. I was impressed by the daring of his projects. My instinct was to get on board with him and go and seek out new territories in yacht design, but I had no interest in speed.”

Luca Bassani Antivari explains: “What I’ve always liked about Hermès, aside from its intrinsic quality, is its audacity and radicalism; its desire to go beyond trends, to make no compromises and to maintain the authenticity of the house. Wally shares the same values, ‘Hermès-on-Land’, ‘Wally-on-Sea’: inevitably our paths had to cross.”

THE WHY 58×38

- Spotted by Luca Bassani Antivari, the tried and tested Norwegian Ramform hull, characterised by exceptional and unprecedented stability and volume revealed itself as the ideal choice to be adapted to the WHY 58×38 project

- Following this unique adaptation, the decks and the interiors were developed in accordance with the fundamental credo of WHY, ‘form-equals-function’

- This credo spurned numerous innovations in the world of mega yachts: patios generously flooding the interior with natural light, photovoltaic panels on the glass hull sides, a roof opening like Venetian blinds, a 25 meter-long (82 feet) forward end swimming pool, and a 36-meter (118 feet) aft deck beach

- The interior of the yacht is fitted out with water resistant buffalo leather using the calpinage technique

- The yacht, which took years in the making, has been tested in Gotebourg, Sweden, in a specialized tank testing facility, to see how it would perform in big seas. The outcome is that, in full swell, the bow moves a tiny bit and the stern stays completely still

- Anchored, the boat creates a totally flat surface behind it, like an olympic-size pool where you can swim in total peace

The Norwegian Ramform Hull

SUSTAINABILITY

- “We are very interested in creating a yacht that will have a low environmental impact”, says Pierre-Alexis Dumas. “Its relationship with the sea must be respectful and easy. WHY intends to offer a new way of moving over water by creating an innovative way of managing and recycling its sources and uses of energy”

- “If you want to go totally ecological, the only solution is sailing. The reality is that today, 90 % of the market is powerboats, echoes Luca Bassani Antivari. Our aim is to reduce diesel consumption per year and per yacht: 20 to 30 % for propulsion and 40 to 50 % for generation”

- Thanks to its specific hull, WHY 58×38 requires less power at cruising speed than a boat of equal size. Its diesel-electric propulsion is the most efficient motorisation today, and the surface of the photovoltaic panels, almost 900 square metres, covers most of the boat’s auxiliary system needs

- In comparison to a yacht of the same size, WHY 58×38 has been conceived to reduce drastically its energy consumption, saving up to 200 tons of diesel per year

- The WHY R & D program includes tank testing for hull stability in the SSPA facilities in Sweden, and the construction of a full-scale mock-up in order to allow the design team to fine tune the living areas correctly in accordance with the hull’s unique shape

- The WHY 58X38 yacht looks very unfamiliar but it remains on a human scale. Space is the greatest luxury on the sea, but I believe the new luxury will be the time to enjoy it”, concludes Pierre-Alexis Dumas

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITY
58 m length (190 feet)
38 m beam (124.6 feet)
2,400 tons displacement
12 guests
20 crew
3,400 m² living areas (36,600 sq. ft)

PERFORMANCE
12 knots cruising speed (13.8 mph)
14 knots maximum speed (16.1 mph)
Constant cruising speed up to Sea Force 4
Long range autonomy 4 Atlantic crossings
Promenade on deck 130 m long x 3 m wide (426.5 ft x 9.8 ft)
Swimming pool with thermo regulated water 25 m long (82 ft)

GREEN ENERGY
900 m² Thermophotovoltaic panels (9,687 sq ft)
2,000 kWh stored energy
Last-generation batteries (LiFePO4)
Renewable energy production 500 kWh/day
Lost thermal energy recovered 1,500 kWh/day
Annual equivalent fuel saving 160,000 liters

From left to right: Pierre-Alexis, Luca Bassani Antivari, Gabrielle Pezzini

WHY DESIGN TEAM
Pierre-Alexis Dumas - Artistic Director, Hermès
Luca Bassani Antivari - President and CEO, Wally
Gabriele Pezzini - Design Director, Hermès
Mauro Sculli with Claudio Cicconetti - Naval Architects
Roar Ramde - Ramform Naval Engineering
Denis Montel - RDAI Interior Architecture

Pictures and Information courtesy of: www.why-yachts.com
First spotted on: designboom

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