“The Sea Deck,” the installation designed by AMDL CIRCLE and Michele De Lucchi for Azimut Yachts, arrives at the Darsena on the occasion of Milan Design Week 2023. Visitors will be welcomed until Sunday, April 23rd to learn about the desire to go beyond the expected and rediscover contact with nature as they might on boat the new Seadeck Series yachts.
Conceived as a floating promenade on the Darsena, “The Sea Deck” gives the city of Milan an unexpected experience of its ancient waterways and offers visitors the possibility to enjoy the water from a unique perspective, near Leonardo da Vinci’s historic canal.
“I am proud to present to the world, on the occasion of the event par excellence for to design, the Azimut Yachts revolution: boats with a green heart, the result of twenty years of research, for a new way of experiencing the sea” stated Giovanna Vitelli, chair of Azimut|Benetti Group.
The project seeks to re-propose the revolution that Azimut has introduced in the nautical world by inviting guests to embark on a journey and discover the technologies developed by the shipyard to reduce environmental impact and to share a moment of return to nature, the essence of navigation. For this reason, sustainable and recyclable materials have been incorporated in its realization, such as the flooring created with 2 million recycled bottle corks, which will go on to be transformed again into insulating material for architecture.
“We need to change our way of understanding sustainability, our mentality and our approach to nature. We designed The Sea Deck to give visitors the opportunity to experience the relationship with the waters of the Darsena and the urban space in an unexpected way, and discover a hidden piece of nature in Milan” confirmed the architect, Michele De Lucchi.
“The Sea Deck” is accessed from the dock; once “on board,” visitors can stroll – strictly barefoot – along the ring, which rests on the water, to reach the center of the Darsena; along the way, five terraces cantilevered over the water tell of the journey behind the shipyard’s new Seadeck Series, the first hybrid series of family motoryachts that integrates the latest and greatest technologies designed to reduce emissions and energy consumption.
A journey in five stages: discovering Seadeck
Visitors will be enticed by the experience of walking on water, on cork, barefoot.
A walk that encounters five interactive stations, telling the story of the new series of hybrid yachts born from Azimut’s challenge to reduce CO2 emissions and energy consumption.
Each station is dedicated to one of the innovative solutions adopted.
The first stage reveals the green heart of Seadeck’s design philosophy and technology: from the new hybrid propulsion to on-board systems to reduce energy absorption, from the installation of solar panels to the use of recycled materials up to the lightweight carbon fiber. A scale model of Seadeck 7, in white, gives off a green light that pulsates inside, recalling the green heart that powers the yacht.
Completely covered in carbon fiber, the second terrace is a clear reference to the material widely used by the shipyard. The Seadeck Series was made with the highest percentage of carbon fiber ever used by Azimut, amounting to 40% of the boat’s surface. The use of carbon fiber makes it possible to reduce the weight of those parts by up to 30%, marking a significant contribution to the reduction of consumption and CO2 emissions.
The third station is dedicated to renewable energy. Visitors will be able to see two models, both with solar panels mounted on the deckhouse, emerging from the water. The Seadeck Series will be equipped with solar panels that help to recharge the latest-generation battery pack and extend zero-emission living at anchor.
On the next terrace, visitors can sit and rest on two cork stools designed by AMDL CIRCLE and Michele De Lucchi. In the place traditionally occupied by teak, Seadeck offers innovative, light and sustainable cork decking, while PET, a recycled material derived from plastic bottles, will be used for the construction of the bulkheads. Approximately 15,000 plastic bottles are expected to be reused for each Seadeck.
Finally, the last station is a reference to the hybrid engines of the new Series. Three painted propellers with integrated lights depict the Volvo hybrid engines that will be installed on board the new yachts. Seadeck will be the first Series in the world which, starting from 60 feet, will guarantee its owners all the advantages of hybrid propulsion, combined with on-board systems designed to reduce energy consumption together with a vast range of solutions to reduce emissions.
