Project Lumen

First featured in SuperyachtDesign, Q6, project Lumen is a 90m concept proposal for Oceanco by Adriel Rollins, who explains the rationale behind its evocative name. Here we see additional renders of the project including the specially designed atrium, which we reported on at the end of 2010.

Project Lumen is so called after the act of producing light. Within the heart of Lumen is an impressive glass and metal atrium which will be controlled by state of the art lighting and be visible through the amidships superstructure and the sundeck skylights. The exterior lighting on this vessel will be taken to a new level. Against the blackness of night, this yacht will have the ability to glow with the charm of a shore-side villa.

One characteristic of Lumen will be the symbiotic relationship between the atrium feature and the exterior styling. I have noticed a few top designers showing atriums in their exterior styling graphics. I understand the logic here: the atriums are expressed in the exterior design and prompt the viewer to realise that something substantial is taking place behind the large vertical glazing details on these yachts. The result is stunning in its own right, but does compromise the long, graceful lines of a superyacht. The sheer, the drop shadows, superstructure overhangs and the molded deck coaming, are all interrupted to satisfy the vertical exterior elements that support the ‘atrium-expression.’

I wonder if any supercar owners are disappointed in how small the back windows are in their mid-engine thoroughbreds? But I suppose if you want good visibility, then you buy a Range Rover. However, some of these new atrium-centric yacht exteriors look as if a Range Rover’s windows and roof lines have been fitted to the body of a Lamborghini Murciélago. In the battle for more natural light accessing the interior, I believe some designers may have nudged too close to missing the point of sculpting. Project Lumen will prove that the atrium can be filled with spectacular natural light, without interrupting the styling that is fore and aft of large atriums on modern superyachts. Aboard Lumen the atrium is as spectacular and as original as possible, but the exterior lines do not give away this feature as her long, graceful lines are not interrupted. For me, the result is a one-of-a-kind design that will remain timeless.

These graceful lines contain the sculpted forms that draw your eye to the opposing surfaces, while undulating, conical forms create outcrops and promontories along the profile. From the stern, the tapering forms invoke a forced perspective. The inspiration for the cantilevered outcrops was derived from the ancient aesthetic of the pagoda, with its tiered tower structure and multiple eaves. The eaves stretch forward along the hull to enhance the shape of the naval architecture. I wanted the exterior styling to work in tandem with the hull form, instead of appearing to be ‘stacked’ on top of the hull. The hard chine appearance of an Oceanco hull form is complimented by the ‘pagoda’ tiered outcrops. The dominance of the chine cannot be ignored and we felt compelled to place our styling lines in formation with the strict elements of the vessels hydrodynamic features.

The final note regarding this dominant element is found at the aft end of the outcrops. The line continues downward and aft, terminating at the swim platform just above the waterline. The result is that the foredeck sheer gradually falls all the way to the stern as one continuous line. These elements are redirected and juxtaposed throughout the rest of the profile and topsides. In this abstract way, Lumen demonstrates the power of light as perceived by the human eye.