royal yacht plans revealed

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£250m design for King Charles’ scrapped superyacht unveiled

London-based firm reveals their proposal for now-scrapped project, article bookmarked.

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The £250m design for King Charles’ superyacht that was scrapped last year has been unveiled.

Plans for the 125-metre Royal Yacht Britannia were previously confidential but have now been published by London-based firm Vitruvius Yachts.

The superyacht was initially set to sail by 2025, but in October last year it was reported chancellor Jeremy Hunt was planning on scrapping the plans as part of a package of spending cuts.

The concept for the yacht – initially put forward by Boris Johnson - was described as being a “celebration of British society and technology in a vessel designed for the people but fit for a king”.

Vitruvius said a key feature was a focus on sustainable power. The “highly efficient” hull design would have minimised fuel consumption and focused on emerging green technology, they said.

The interior’s design made use of recycled materials and would have had a flexible deck and interior design that could switch between exhibition showcase or floating embassy, with the yacht firm saying it is “suitable for everyone from VVIPs to schoolchildren and the disabled".

The previous Royal Yacht Britannia - used by the royal family since 1954 - had visitors including Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Famously, Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, took their honeymoon cruise on Britannia in 1981.

The design was put together by Team FestivAl, a collaboration between Vitruvius Yachts, Zaha Hadid Architects, and aluminium ship and yacht specialists Ocea.

The vessel would have featured an energy-agnostic propulsion system based on efficient pod drives, which could have enabled geostationary position-keeping without damaging sensitive seabeds with an anchor, the company said.

Vitrivius Yachts added: “In developing the design, the essence of Britishness takes centre stage through a Union flag ribbon motif in the side and plan view elevations, while reflecting the multicultural society that defines the UK today. “

Yacht designer Philippe Briand added: “The flagship collaboration was an incredible opportunity to act as an architect realising the design of a project that was hugely complex, because it aims to represent not the tastes of one person but the essence of an entire nation.

“That is actually way more difficult than designing for even the most demanding individual.”

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

This is what a £250,000,000 superyacht for King Charles could have looked like

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A design for King Charles’ zero carbon multi-million-pound superyacht that was scrapped last year has been unveiled.

London-based firm Vitruvius Yachts revealed plans for their previously confidential proposal for the Royal Yacht Britannia.

When the British government invited concepts for a new National Flagship vessel, the company was shortlisted as a finalist in the design competition.

Their 125-metre yacht had been in the running for the £250m project, which would have seen it set sail by 2025.

The new Britannia concept is described as a ‘celebration of British society and technology in a vessel designed for the people but fit for a king.’

However, it was reported last year that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was planning to scrap plans for a new yacht as part of a package of spending cuts.

The plan had been put forward by Boris Johnson when he was prime minister but he faced criticism from MPs at a time when there were other priorities for spending.

The previous Royal Yacht Britannia had been used by the Royal Family since its commissioning in 1954.

US Presidents who had boarded included Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

Famously, Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, took their honeymoon cruise on Britannia in 1981.

The new design comes from Team FestivAl, a collaboration between Vitruvius Yachts, world-renowned architecture practice Zaha Hadid Architects, and aluminium ship and yacht specialists Ocea.

Vitruvius say key features include a focus on sustainable power and propulsion.

The highly efficient hull design minimises fuel consumption and maximises opportunities for emerging green technologies to create a zero-carbon vessel.

The interior is based on recycled and recyclable materials, and a flexible deck and interior design can switch between exhibition showcase or floating embassy with ease, ‘suitable for everyone from VVIPs to schoolchildren and the disabled’.

The sleek exterior profile includes a distinctive central slice through the superstructure that takes the form of a hoop of glass, flooding the interior with light and providing a key design element that, combined with a distinct LED-lit style line in the profile, hints at the ribbon pattern in the Union flag. This is reinforced in the design when viewed from above.

The vessel features an energy-agnostic propulsion system based on efficient pod drives, which can also enable geostationary position-keeping without damaging sensitive seabeds with an anchor.

Power for the pod drives would come from a large battery bank that could be charged via shore power or onboard generators, initially using renewable diesel/biofuel but allowing for alternative energy sources now and in the future including green hydrogen fuel cells and onboard-harvested solar and wind energy.

Team FestivAl’s National Flagship explain their project draws on several cultural and societal cues, ‘from innovation and sustainability to accessibility and inclusion, to represent the very best of British in design, manufacturing, craftsmanship and diversity’.

The firm say: ‘Indeed, in developing the design, the essence of Britishness takes centre stage through a Union flag ribbon motif in the side and plan view elevations, while reflecting the multicultural society that defines the UK today. ‘

Philippe Briand comments: ‘To design a vessel – a flagship – that will become a benchmark in sustainability as well as demonstrating British excellence and heritage for current and future generations, while also being a symbol of inclusion and diversity, was an enormous challenge that kept me awake at night.

‘The nature and intensity of the project kept me focused but also filled me with pride, not just in the design process itself but for what the flagship stands for.’

He added: ‘The flagship collaboration was an incredible opportunity to act as an architect realising the design of a project that was hugely complex, because it aims to represent not the tastes of one person but the essence of an entire nation.

‘That is actually way more difficult than designing for even the most demanding individual.’

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‘Confidential’ design for scrapped Royal Yacht revealed

Thursday, January 19th, 2023

Written by: Marine Industry News

London-based superyacht design firm Vitruvius Yachts has revealed details of its design for the Royal Yacht Britannia — a national flagship that was scrapped after being dubbed a Boris Johnson “vanity project” .

The British government invited several firms to submit designs for a new flagship yacht, which would have replaced the former Royal Yacht Britannia. Construction on the £250m vessel was due to begin this year, with the boat to hit the water in 2024 or 2025.

While details of the 19 shortlisted companies have not been confirmed, the Telegraph reported in May that the final two teams of designers left in the contest were a consortium led by Houlder Ltd — the firm behind RRS Sir David Attenborough; and Harland & Wolff, best-known for building White Star Line’s ocean liners, including the Titanic. Neither firm has so far showcased its design.

Vitruvius Yachts and its collaborative team, called Team FestivAl, have now revealed their concept for a “highly technological” 125-metre superyacht that was one of those shortlisted as a finalist in the design competition.

In a statement, Team FestivAl says: “With the government deciding to halt the project, the team is showcasing their previously confidential proposal, highlighting not only the ingenuity of their design but also throwing a spotlight on the extraordinary depth and diversity of British industry and society, amply reflected in the design itself.”

Team FestivAl is a collaboration between Vitruvius Yachts, renowned architecture practice Zaha Hadid Architects, and aluminium ship and yacht specialists Ocea. The plans reveal key features including a focus on sustainable power and propulsion, an efficient hull design, and a flexible deck and interior design that can switch between exhibition showcase or “floating embassy”.

Spearheaded by Vitrivius Yachts’ Philippe Briand – one of the world’s leading yacht designers and a naval architect for both sail and motor yachts – Team FestivAl says its national flagship project draws on several cultural and societal cues, from innovation and sustainability to accessibility and inclusion, to represent the “very best of British” in design, manufacturing, craftsmanship and diversity.

“To design a vessel – a flagship – that will become a benchmark in sustainability as well as demonstrating British excellence and heritage for current and future generations, while also being a symbol of inclusion and diversity, was an enormous challenge that kept me awake at night,” says Philippe Briand. “The nature and intensity of the project kept me focused but also filled me with pride, not just in the design process itself but for what the flagship stands for.”

The technical elements of Team FestivAl’s national flagship project are said to centre on sound naval architecture and clever superstructure design. The result is a vessel that is both highly efficient in the water – with designs claiming 30 per cent less hydrodynamic drag than a conventional steel ship – and also in the air, with a drag coefficient of just 0.28 — less than most cars.

The design would have been built in recycled aluminium (the ‘Al’ in ‘Team FestivAl’), which is lighter than steel and therefore reduces the power required for propulsion, which in turn reduces emissions. Indeed, Team FestivAl conducted a study with the non-profit Water Revolution Foundation in conjunction with the University of Bologna which found that the hull and superstructure design, over a lifecycle of 30 years, would emit 30 per cent fewer greenhouse gases than a conventional design.

Power for the pod drives would have come from a large battery bank that could be charged via shore power or onboard generators, initially using renewable diesel/biofuel but allowing for alternative energy sources now and in the future including green hydrogen fuel cells and onboard-harvested solar and wind energy.

The exterior profile includes a distinctive central slice through the superstructure that takes the form of a hoop of glass, flooding the interior with light and providing a key design element that, combined with a distinct LED-lit style line in the profile, hints at the ribbon pattern in the Union flag. This is reinforced in the design when viewed from above.

At night, the LED-tile ribbon and lighting scheme developed by Jason Bruges Studio turns the vessel into a lighting sculpture that projects the Union flag, reflected in the water. The lighting scheme also allows for messages to be displayed, and for lighting to be matched to a given theme or location.

Central to the vessel’s design is accessibility for all across all decks and areas. The wraparound glass of the atrium provides a sense of light and space while delivering plenty of natural light for the visually impaired. Access routes throughout the vessel have been considered with people of all ages and all levels of ability or disability in mind.

The plans show that the interior spaces themselves have been developed around a need for flexibility of use and purpose, from national showcase and exhibition space to state dinners and private receptions. These include a large aft formal dining room that can be configured in multiple ways; a greeting/bar area with breakout rooms, and moveable partitions that allow for quick switching between operational modes; and a modular mission bay in the aft end of the vessel that can be used for trade show demonstrations, storage of additional equipment or humanitarian supplies and modular medical facilities, a modular science lab or extra accommodation or office space.

“The flagship collaboration was an incredible opportunity to act as an architect realising the design of a project that was hugely complex, because it aims to represent not the tastes of one person but the essence of an entire nation,” Briand says. “That is actually way more difficult than designing for even the most demanding individual.”

Team FestivAl says its national flagship was “more than just a design exercise – it is a celebration of the UK as a vibrant and inclusive multicultural society, as a hotbed of design, engineering and manufacturing, and as a nation with a rich seafaring heritage and a world-leading future as a developer of sustainable technologies.”

In November, former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said Johnson’s plans for a new flagship were not in the “realms of reality” and suggested it was a “glorious distraction” that should be scrapped, given the UK’s cost of living crisis.

After the plans were scrapped, the  Mirror  quoted defence secretary Ben Wallace saying: “The MoD has not assumed any liability for costs incurred by bidders in the design competition. And no design or manufacturing contracts have been placed.”

The former Royal Yacht Britannia — decommissioned in 1997 — is currently open to tourists in Leith, Edinburgh.

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6 responses to “‘Confidential’ design for scrapped Royal Yacht revealed”

Hideous waste of money and a disgusting vanity project by a corrupt and tawdry conservative government who need to be booted out of power so they cannot waste more taxpayer money. Good to hear it’s scrapped.

Shame about the decision not to go ahead in principle, but thank goodness we’ve been spared the humiliation of a vessel that looks like that.

Brittannia earned us millions and millions over the years and should never have been laid up. I agree with your comments regarding the government but I would welcome a replacement Brittania.

King Charles is one of the richest human beings on this planet. If he wants a Yacht he’d can buy one!

Been a great opportunity to show off Britain’s fast diversity of Craftsman and products it’s a shame it’s not going ahead but never say no let’s keep our fingers crossed

King Charles is not one of the richest human on the planet, because most of his perceived wealth actually belongs to the state. As to the construction of a replacement royal yacht, why not?, it would bring much needed prestige to Great Britain. The cost is minimal in the greater scale of things, shall we say compared to money spent on illegal immigrants to the detriment of our own indigenous homeless citizens.

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Zaha Hadid Architects shares its conceptual design for the abandoned British Royal Yacht

Although plans for the Royal Yacht are all at sea, ZHA, Jason Bruges Studio, Vitruvius Yachts and OCEA conjured up a contemporary vision for this very traditional role

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Time was when a new Royal yacht – for the British Royal Family – seemed like a rather good idea. Hailed as a miracle wheeze for boosting heavy industrial and craft-level jobs as well as re-gilding the rather tarnished Royal image, calls for a replacement for HMY Britannia started almost immediately after the 83rd Royal yacht was retired and decommissioned in December 1997. 

This proposal from Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), designed in collaboration with Philippe Briand and Veerle Battiau’s Vitruvius Yachts, was one of four entries into a design competition for a new national flagship. ZHA and Vitruvius collaborated with Jason Bruges Studio and French boat builder OCEA to form Team FestivAl.

British Royal yacht concept: what might have been

This was not ZHA's first foray into naval architecture. Back in 2013, the company worked on a suite of six yacht designs for the German shipyard Blohm + Voss , and last year it unveiled a conceptual catamaran design, the Oneiric in collaboration with the Italian superyacht builder Rossinavi.

Britannia worked hard over its 44-year career, travelling over a million nautical miles to 135 countries during nearly 700 official trips. The retirement of the familiar Royal Blue hull caused a certain amount of lament amongst royalists, although proposals for a successor played up the historic ship’s role as an ambassador for the UK , not just a handy holiday spot for the Royal Family. 

In mid-2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans for a new £200m Royal yacht, tentatively named after the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Within a few weeks, this grand scheme was being hastily pedalled back and any ideas for a ‘new national flagship’ were conclusively canned in November 2022 (a former palace source tweeted, ‘[the Royal Family] never wanted or even asked for a replacement’).

ZHA’s involvement will therefore remain an intriguing footnote in this stalled venture. The 125m yacht would have had a sustainable, zero-emission propulsion system and an emphasis on a multi-role mission, capable of transforming from an ‘exhibition showcase or floating embassy … suitable for everyone from VVIPs to schoolchildren and the disabled.’ 

Although interior designs weren’t revealed, the plans were said to include a wealth of recycled materials, including a recycled aluminium hull, and a large central atrium. This is hinted at in the hull designs, with fluid lines running from the near vertical prow and stern, rising up to frame a large window above a ceremonial entranceway and ramp. Jason Bruges Studio proposed a lighting sculpture that illuminated the hull and projected images onto the surrounding waster.

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The three other finalist teams in the abandoned competition included Team Harland & Wolff, featuring naval architect Stephen Payne with Clifford Denn Design, Team New Flagship Company led and funded by advertising entrepreneur Ian Maiden, bringing together Mark Whiteley Design and ThirtyC Yacht Design, and Team Signal, including superyacht industry veterans Bannenberg & Rowell Design alongside engineering specialists Houlder.

Zaha Hadid Architects, Zaha-Hadid.com

Jason Bruges Studio, JasonBruges.com

Vitruvius Yachts, VitruviusYachts.com

OCEA Shipbuilding, OCEA.fr

Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.

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