Portrait: How Bernardo and Martina Zuccon are revolutionising yacht design
Boote Exclusiv
· 11.11.2023
A text by Norman Kietzmann
Everything is a question of perspective - on land and on the water. Martina and Bernardo Zuccon grew up in a family where boats are omnipresent. Nevertheless, they went their own way and found the courage to shake up the rules of the industry. They plan yachts from the perspective of architects, not designers. Above all, this means: it's about space - its layout, its effect, the interweaving of interior and exterior and the creation of atmosphere. "A yacht is not a sculpture. And certainly not a car on the water. It is a home, a space that relates to people," summarises Bernardo Zuccon.
When he designs a hull, he doesn't start with perspective views from the outside. "I design the boats in section. My aim is to develop a lifestyle on board first. Then I design the hull around it," explains the Roman designer. Arrow shapes driven by pure performance are not his thing. He likes classic, elegant yachts - and is looking for a way to translate their grace into a contemporary aesthetic. He finds inspiration in architecture. "The beauty of a boat is the harmony in the relationship between its outer form and its inner function. If one of the two fails, the beauty dematerialises," Bernardo Zuccon is convinced. A yacht must be static and dynamic in equal measure.
Double perspective, one attitude
What makes the studio so special is the relationship between two siblings. Martina, born in 1980, and her brother, who is two years younger, both studied architecture at La Sapienza University in Rome - just like their parents Gianni Zuccon and Paola Galeazzi. After graduating in 1972, they founded an architecture firm together. In 1975, a friend invited them to take part in a competition for a yacht at the Posillipo shipyard, which later became Technema 65. "They took part because they didn't know how to build boats at all. But that was precisely their strength. They won the competition and began this journey that continues to this day," says Bernardo Zuccon. Since 1978, the office, which was renamed Zuccon International Project in 1984, has presented at least one new yacht every year.
Martina Zuccon joined her parents' office in 2004. Her brother followed three years later. "It would have been strange for me not to work with my family. Mum and dad loved their work, so things inevitably came home. I did my first yacht show in Genoa when I was eight years old," recalls Martina Zuccon. The biggest advantage of working as siblings? "We always have a filter, whether we like it or not. But in the family, the filter is much smaller. That means you say what you think because you simply can't help it," explains Martina Zuccon. Criticism takes place internally. And every project benefits from this.
The Zuccon DNA
The collaboration is fluid. "With a yacht, you can't decide that you do the inside and I do the outside. If you define transparencies and volumes, you also define the interiors. There is a coherence between the two," says Bernardo Zuccon. Nevertheless, there are focal points: "Even if I work more on the interior and Bernardo more on the exterior, the two flow together when it comes to the floor plans at the latest. So we always work in tandem with our employees," emphasises Martina Zuccon. This is precisely the DNA of the office. Her parents were already thinking holistically. Parallel to their nautical projects, they have planned all the buildings on the campus of the European Space Agency in Frascati, not far from Rome, since 1983.
Martina and Bernardo designed their first yachts for the Ferretti Group. When their new management took over, there was also a desire to rejuvenate the design team. At a meeting in Bologna in 2011, Gianni Zuccon presented ten designs. "One was mine. And that was the one that was chosen. That was a hard blow for my father, because it was the first time that one of my drawings was chosen over his," recalls Bernardo Zuccon. This sealed the generational change in the design studio, which in the following years designed the Navetta 33, 37 and 42 for Custom Line, which are still in production today. A break came in 2017 when the management wanted to work in parallel with other designers. Massimo Perotti, head of the Sanlorenzo shipyard and equipped with good antennae for the situation in the industry, got wind of this. He contacted the Zuccon siblings and asked them for initial designs. These later gave rise to the SL, SD and SX series. At less than 40 years old, Martina and Bernardo Zuccon have redefined the entire exterior of Sanlorenzo. The interiors were often also designed by them. Or they are designed in collaboration with Piero Lissoni, who took over the art direction for the shipyard in La Spezia in 2018 and brought designers such as Patricia Urquiola on board.
The SL102, launched in 2018, was an immediate sensation - after all, it was the world's first asymmetric motor yacht. On the main deck, one of the two outer corridors has been omitted so that the living area is directly adjacent to the side of the boat. "This not only creates more space. Much more important is the feeling of being closer to the waves because there is no corridor to keep them at a distance. It's about a sensory experience," emphasises Bernardo Zuccon. However, the asymmetry is not visible from the outside. It only becomes apparent when you enter the interior. "Basically, it's a kind of illusion. It's precisely this surprise that I like," explains Bernardo Zuccon.
Transferred from Adolf Loos' "room plan" on board
This is where the Viennese architect Adolf Loos (1870-1933) comes into play. The Zuccon siblings learnt two things from him. Firstly, the façade does not have to reflect the internal structure. Secondly, rooms cannot be separated by walls and doors alone. Around 1910, Loos had developed the idea of the "room plan". Large rooms are divided into zones that are raised or lowered in height. This principle was first implemented in the Alloy (2020), whose owner's cabin extends over three levels. With the SP110 (2022), a split-level design was introduced for the first time, in which the aft deck is positioned halfway between the upper and lower decks. The same concept will be continued with the 50Steel, which is due to be delivered to Massimo Perotti in 2024. "This creates a play of levels in the saloon area. There are lounges connected by half staircases and ramps. They create the impression of a continuous environment that is nevertheless separated into individual zones, which is something completely new in the nautical sector," explains Martina Zuccon.
The BGM75 from Bluegame, which was presented in Cannes in 2023 and with which the Sanlorenzo Group is entering the twin-hull segment, succeeds in creating an illusion. "You don't feel like you're on a catamaran either when you look at it from a distance or when you're on the yacht," explains Bernardo Zuccon. The design is only revealed when viewed from the front. The result is a new typology that harmonises efficiency in locomotion with a high level of comfort. The hybrid concept has also characterised the development of the SX100 (2023) from Sanlorenzo. The 34-metre yacht has a spacious beach club with fold-out side terraces. Bernardo Zuccon: "This very special design was born out of the desire to combine the spaciousness of an explorer yacht with the generosity of a classic navetta."
The interdisciplinary approach that father Gianni Zuccon inscribed in the office can be seen in several design projects. The modular sofa programme "Jacques-Yves" was created for furniture manufacturer Poltrona Frau in 2023. The seat cushions can be folded up to reveal generous compartments. After all, every square metre of additional storage space counts on board a yacht. During the Genoa International Boat Show this autumn, the Oblò door handle was presented for the manufacturer F.lli Razeto & Casareto. The antimicrobial handle with its rounded ends flatters the hand. At the same time, it prevents injuries in the event that heavy seas cause passengers to lose their balance when navigating through the interior. "Everything is based on the idea that these things, no matter how big or small they are, always have to do with people," says Bernardo Zuccon, describing his philosophy. He has had a dream project in mind for years, which is now set to take shape: a compact boat 11.50 metres long. "I would like to summarise all my experiences here. The boat is small and yet everything fits inside. It has four comfortable beds, a large bathroom, a separate shower, a nice, comfortable dinette, a galley and a roof rack for attaching surfboards. For me, it will be the smallest superyacht in the world," says Bernardo Zuccon enthusiastically. He doesn't want to show the first sketches yet. But this much in advance: it will follow a purist, slightly military aesthetic that evokes associations with weekend boats, which are particularly popular in the Scandinavian countries. He is building the first one for himself. Whether it will end up in a series remains to be seen.
Innovative technologies help Zuccon International Project to optimise design
Within the studio, he has set up a small department that uses virtual reality and 3D printing to ensure that not a millimetre of space is wasted on board. Speaking of the studio: Zuccon International Project has been working in a former flat in the centre of Rome since the 1970s. Five years ago, the siblings bought an impressive villa and, after three years of construction, transformed it into a studio for their 20 employees. "This place is unique in Rome: a villa in the centre of the city with a large garden where we want to build a tennis court. We want to become a kind of country club to relax with our friends at the weekend," says Bernardo Zuccon, who lives just 500 metres away. The villa has now become an island of nautical beauty: a place where yachts are thought of a little differently than usual.
