Too Design, headed up by industry veteran designer Marco Casali, has been working closely with a number of shipyards looking to change the face of the yacht industry. Shipyards such as Greenline and Silent Yachts have been looking toward the creation of sustainable alternatives to traditional yacht design, and Casali’s team has been right there on the forefront. The most recent concept to come out of the studio is the 56.7-metre VisionE, unveiled today within SYT 3D, SuperYacht Times’ virtual yachting world.
VisionE has been born out of the need to change the way that owners and designers approach yachting. Looking for a fresh approach to the traditional construction and propulsion methods, VisionE is quite unlike any other yacht in the fleet, with a low, sleek profile, the 56.7-metre superyacht features a curved roof, covered with solar panels that feed the electricity and power to the vessel. While she has the option of fully electric propulsion, the yacht has been conceived as a hybrid diesel-electric and will be able to reach impressive top speeds of 14 knots.
In order to increase the efficiency of the vessel, Casali and his team studied the hulls of performance sailing yachts, the hulls of which have been honed over the centuries to reduce drag and improve movement through the water. As such, the yacht has a draft of only 2.6-metres, which, as an added benefit, will make her a perfect vessel for cruising in shallow grounds such as the Bahamas.
Without a doubt one of the most standout elements of the yacht is her flybridge, which is revealed by sliding and hydraulically lifting some of her solar panels. This space, which appears almost from nowhere, offers her guests beautiful sea views alongside all of the usual amenities, including a large Jacuzzi, bar and dining table.
In addition to the hydraulic solar panel elements of the flybridge, there are a number of other unique and impressive hydraulic systems which open the vessel up to the surrounding ocean. Each of the five-six staterooms feature balconies that fold down from the vessel's superstructure, offering her 12-14 guests private and intimate access to the water. Marco Casali commented, “There is nothing more wonderful than waking up and having uninhibited access to the water. There are virtually no yachts of this size that can offer this to all of the guests, where usually the owner’s suite is unique in its unparalleled ocean views, that is something we wanted to change, by offering such privilege to every guest onboard.”
Finally, the bulwarks to aft can be flattened to open the entire space into an expansive beach club that flows through into the spa and fitness centre. Central to the design of the aft deck is a large saltwater swimming pool that also acts as a floodable garage for launching the tender. “When we were considering this large pool to aft, we thought about how wasteful it is to have a fresh water pool onboard a yacht, that has to continuously be filled and emptied. There is also the issue with access to fresh water which may not always be possible. The creation of a seawater pool however, gives owners and crew a lot more freedom and control, while also using the free water of the ocean. In addition, this pool is a garage that can be flooded and creates a very safe access point to the water.”
While Casali noted that a future owner may wish to bring another designer onboard to create the interiors, he and his team have already created a unique layout that truly makes the most of the 499 GT volumes. With a 10.5-metre beam there is plenty of room to play with, allowing them to create a fully open plan space that will encourage social interaction and entertainment.
In terms of her engineering and propulsion, Too Design is working closely with Francesco Rogantin of Names Studio, who has assisted with the creation of a vessel which will work with both hybrid electric and even fully-electric propulsion in the future. Casali added, “Francesco has a huge amount of experience in the field and has recently been working on other innovations, including with the use of hydrogen fuel-cell technology, which could perhaps be an option for VisionE.” VisionE has been unveiled today in SYT 3D and you can view this exceptional new concept in full 3D here.