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SHELL ISSUE - n° 18 - 2019 - € 10
The Art of Sailing
Custom Line Nav
etta 42
QUART ERLY - P.I. 31/03 /2019 Intern ationa l € 10, Spedizione in Abbon Chf 10,50 , UK £ 7,50- Poste Italian amento Postale e S.p.a. - 70% - LO/MI
[ CREATIVE MINDS: GIOVANNI CECCARELLI ]
MY PASSION AND RESPECT FOR THE SEA LEADS ME TOWARDS
A SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE OF THE SEA
by Samuela Urbini
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Giovanni Ceccarelli: engineer with a passion for the sea. His studio in Ravenna, Italy, produces designs ranging from competition sail yachts to superyachts
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[ CREATIVE MINDS ]
iovanni Ceccarelli’s words clearly express a sail
everyone in the associated areas of the project must be aware of this,
yachtsman’s typical intense passion for the sea, a
mirroring the situation that already exists in urban planning. We’re
feeling complemented by a profound knowledge of this
actors on a stage where the sea is the set”. And the sea must not be
environment. And when this love is combined with the
spoiled. “Nowadays I picture a designer who’s also an engineer and
technical expertise of an engineer, the result is projects that are
can’t help combining science and style. Design and construction
not only aesthetically striking but also functionally impressive. The
technology, which is evolving in leaps and bounds, are the means. A
engineer from Ravenna raced on the sea when he was young, then he
craft that offers less resistance to forward movement needs engines
began to design competition sail yachts, including two America’s Cup
with less horsepower, and that means lower consumption, lower costs
competitors, Mascalzone Latino and +39 Challenge. He then moved
and less pollution”. A devotee of rationalism, where every element
on to series sail and motor yachts, and was engineering manager and
has a function, Ceccarelli believes that on a yacht the way a shape is
planner in the operation to refloat the Concordia after its sinking
made can enable new functions. This is made clear in the two new
in 2012. A vast range of experience, together with the team at his
designs for Rosetti Superyachts, a pair of supply vessels, on 35 metres
Ravenna studio, with one common denominator, “A knowledge of
and the other 50 metres long, intended for owners who enjoy sailing
and love for the sea. That’s the common theme in my profession”, says
and a close contact with the environment. “They have clean, simple
Ceccarelli. “My world is the sea, or rather, water. A living water, the
and enduring lines, not a faddish aesthetic. I drew inspiration from
setting for sport, pleasure, life and a source of life”.
the round, soft curves of the deckhouses on several projects from
But what exactly does he mean by a sustainable architecture of the
my studio, on sail and motor yachts. I feel that these two models in
sea? “The world is facing a great evolutionary process, from both
some ways resemble a warship, where every graphic element serves a
the social and climatic viewpoint. It means designers, engineers and
purpose. They’re clean and slender, but at the same time they create
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An almost military look tempered by soft shapes and modern, light-filled interiors for the 50-metre supply vessel that Giovanni Ceccarelli designed for Rosetti Superyachts. Its exterior lines are clean and rigorous, especially the superstructure, which resembles a Japanese pagoda
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[ CREATIVE MINDS ]
Combining science and style is now an imperative for Ceccarelli. One example is the 30-metre craft (above) designed for Rosetti Superyachts. The yacht has an efficient hull and great elegance created by its extreme stylistic sobriety, clearly seen in the rendering of the cockpit (top)
an impression of power”. The superstructure features three graphic elements that recall Japanese pagodas, and as all Ceccarelli designs are inspired by a passion for the sea, it pervades every space through the large windows. “That’s the lovely thing about the interior layout, allowing the sea to make its presence felt through the openings. The owner’s cabin on the upper deck, for example, offers a 180 degree view aft and a private balcony”. The idea of sustainability is also reflected by the creation of interiors where air conditioning plays a less important role, as the emphasis is on allowing natural air to circulate. Giovanni Ceccarelli predicts that “We’re moving more and more in the direction of environmental sustainability with large and small craft designed and built to experience the sea like the two superyacht designs for RSY with long range and sailing comfort, constructed with respect for the sea and the environment”.
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