Turkey

Altinova Tersaneleri Imalat

Monaco Yacht Show 2024 attendees

We take a look at the yachts which will be in attendance at this year's Monaco Yacht Show

Yachts attending the Monaco Yacht Show 2024

Milan-based <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/908" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Hot Lab (Company)">Hot Lab</a> has come a long way since the studio was founded by three young postgraduates in 2004. With their diverse backgrounds in architecture, automotive and interior design, they chose the <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/908" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Hot Lab (Company)">Hot Lab</a> name to evoke their passion for design and the formal research that goes into their projects. <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/214865/image/large-2a5a9d058a6555a3760866b59555f157.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/214865">Over the years the studio has evolved and matured. Co-founder Michele Dragoni left to set up on his own in 2019 and the 10-strong team is now headed up by Antonio Romano and Enrico Lumini. Still in their early 40s with a shrewd understanding of what the new generation of owners desire in a superyacht, they have developed a remarkably mature style of design under the tagline ‘Architecture for Voyagers’ that resonates with today’s market.2021 saw six <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/908" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Hot Lab (Company)">Hot Lab</a> interior projects hit the water: 52-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/6583" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="C54.2m (177'10&quot;)Baglietto S.p.A.2020">C</a> launched by <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/375" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Baglietto S.p.A. (Company)">Baglietto</a>; 45-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/1602" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Crocus43.1m (141'5&quot;)Altinova Tersaneleri Imalat2021">Crocus</a> built by the <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/5609" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Altinova Tersaneleri Imalat (Company)">Altinova</a> shipyard in Turkey; 41-metre Fifty-Five built by <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/191" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Yildiz Shipyard (Company)">Yıldız Gemi</a> in Turkey; 37-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/10159" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Alaia37.17m (121'11&quot;)Numarine2021">Alaia</a> by <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/1088" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Numarine (Company)">Numarine</a>; the <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/201" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="ISA Yachts (Company)">ISA</a> Extra 96 <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/10838" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Anvilugi28.5m (93'6&quot;)Extra Yachts2021">Anvilugi</a>; and <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/6173" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Private GG35.0m (114'10&quot;)Arcadia Yachts2021">Private GG</a>, the fourth hull in the <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/1726" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Arcadia Yachts (Company)">Arcadia</a> 115 series. &nbsp;<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/211621/image/large-8cfeae64369219071c90eac18594394a.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/211621">They have another six projects currently in build: two units of the new 43-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/6173" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Columbus Yachts (Company)">Columbus</a> Atlantique (interior and exterior) in a coupé and fly deck version (the first 47-metre Atlantique has also been sold); an <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/201" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="ISA Yachts (Company)">ISA</a> Extra X96 and an Extra X76 (interior); a 33-metre custom Navetta (interior and exterior) for <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/4490" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="AES Yacht (Company)">AES</a>shipyard in Turkey; and a 43-metre motor yacht (interior and exterior) for a private client also being built in Turkey. &nbsp;Ongoing projects include <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Article/53780" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="RMK and Hot Lab unveil 50m concept superyacht Aries now in-build (2021-09-27 10:30:00 +0200)">the 50-metre Aries explorer yacht (exterior and interior) started on spec by</a><a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/14" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="RMK Marine (Company)">RMK Marine</a> in Turkey; the 98-metre&nbsp;Superleggera concept for <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/64" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Oceanco (Company)">Oceanco</a>; the recently unveiled 65-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Article/54296" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Exclusive: Turquoise and Hot Lab unveil 65m Neptune (2021-12-17 13:15:00 +0100)">Neptune concept for Turquoise</a>; and a 50-metre explorer concept for <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/1661" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Tankoa Yachts S.p.A. (Company)">Tankoa</a>. <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/207097/image/large-7c518165baffe4e2442855b521019304.png" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/207097">A glance at the list above reveals a preponderance of projects in Turkey. When SuperYacht Times recently dropped by the <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/908" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Hot Lab (Company)">Hot Lab</a> studio, we began by asking the company principals whether this has been by choice or chance. &nbsp;Antonio: A bit of both. Certainly most of our clients today are European or Turkish. When we were starting out it was probably easier to find work in Turkey and we’ve maintained those friendships and connections. Turkey is also ideally suited to our core business for yachts between 40 and 70 metres. A key aspect of <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/908" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Hot Lab (Company)">Hot Lab</a> is that most of our work is full-custom, which is another reason why our Turkish customers come to us. We also have Latin American clients and we are working to develop the North American market through our broker contacts. But the market is opening up: a few years ago we would never have knocked on <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/23" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Lürssen Yachts (Company)">Lürssen</a>’s door, for example, but even they are now presenting smaller concepts within our size range.You head up a young team of designers – is that a draw for younger owners?Enrico: It certainly doesn’t do any harm. The owners of the first two 43-metre Atlantique hulls in build at <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/1757" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Palumbo Superyachts (Company)">Palumbo Superyachts</a> are in their early 40s like us, for example, and we have a lot of enquiries from owners looking to acquire their first yacht of 40 or 50 metres. This means they come to the table with very different set of expectations than the older generation of owners, who probably grew up with smaller boats before investing in a superyacht.&nbsp;We’re told that younger owners are more interested in sustainable technology for their yachts. Is that your experience?Antonio: Just recently we had a discussion with an owner’s representative interested in a 75-metre project with advanced hybrid propulsion, eco-efficient glass, energy recycling, and so on. But that was just one customer. Even among younger owners, sustainability is rarely a priority.&nbsp;Enrico: Yachting is at least a decade behind the automotive industry in this respect. I started to think seriously about buying an electric car in 2020 when they were still at a premium: now you see Teslas all over the place. The technology for yachts is still developing and it’s going to take a while for both the products and perceptions to catch up.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/213969/image/large-94be124531b9db0a91dffdfdf0b81467.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/213969">Your most recent exterior designs have a harder, cleaner edge to them. Does&nbsp;<a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/908" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Hot Lab (Company)">Hot Lab</a>&nbsp;have an in-house style?Enrico: More than a style, I think we have an in-house ethos that is reflected in our designs. The Architecture for Voyagers philosophy looks to renew the balance between structure and form, elegance and versatility. The Columbus Atlantique range, for example, expresses what we are all about: clean, contemporary lines without any fussy adornment. Sailing yachts are rarely over-designed, so we combined Italian GT sports car motifs with a classic scooped-out sailboat stern that highlights the essence of travelling by sea.Antonio: Our focus has changed since Enrico took over as head of design and we’ve seen this in the projects we have in build or in development with four times the number of exterior designs we had ten years ago. The way we present projects to shipyards and brokers has also changed. We used to go with a portfolio of what we had already done, take notes on what they were looking for, and go away and come up with a design. Most of our proposals today have already been developed independently in-house. This was the case for the Atlantique range, but also the Neptune and Superleggera concepts.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/202265/image/large-c3e133582ee8776af0ff79bcc50f5f26.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/202265">Is there a yacht project that you would like to design given the opportunity?Enrico: There are a couple of projects we worked on during lockdown when we had more time to spread our wings that I’d like to develop further, also because they are smaller than what we usually do. But I’m also very interested in the evolution of &nbsp;relationship between spaces in yacht design. We’re starting to see yachts of 55 metres or more that are under 500 GT, and you can only do that by having more open or semi-open spaces. This in turn influences the exterior proportions and the relationship between full and empty volumes.&nbsp;Antonio: I think this is one of the most exciting design trends we’re seeing at the moment. The most recent example is 58.5-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/7555" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Phi58.5m (191'11&quot;)Royal Huisman Shipyard BV2021">Phi</a>, the longest yacht under 500 GT, designed by <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/43" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Cor D. Rover Design (Company)">Cor D Rover</a> and built by <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/122" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Royal Huisman Shipyard BV (Company)">Royal Huisman</a>. These low-rise superstructures and long, slender hulls are more challenging to design and engineer, but we’re seeing more and more demand for this kind of yacht. We’ve started experimenting with designs of our own and the 50-metre explorer concept for <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/1661" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Tankoa Yachts S.p.A. (Company)">Tankoa</a>, for example, is available in two different versions that prioritise interior volume or hull length.

Studio visit with Hot Lab design 

Justin Ratcliffe visits Hot Lab, the Italian design studio creating architecture for voyagers.