British naval architecture firm Lateral Naval Architects has unveiled two of its latest technical engineering platforms on the opening day of Monaco Yacht Show 2019. The first, know as project Inception, is a 68m technical platform with engineering architecture that aims to offer greater creative flexibility to designers by enabling them to challenge the paradigm of layouts which are often constrained by technical arrangements.

Project Inception.

Lateral Naval Architects (‘Lateral’) has achieved this by developing an energy architecture based on batteries as the primary source of onboard power, known by Lateral as an ‘E-Hybrid’ system, which meets the varying power demands of superyacht. Diesel engines are provided to recharge batteries only. The use of batteries over diesel engines increases overall architecture efficiency, flexibility of layout, noise and vibration, maintenance and operational effectiveness which allows for a much more compact system arrangement and thereby offers more design options to clients and designers.

Lateral invited Isaac Burrough Design studio to design Inception. “The genesis for this project came from two ideas; creating a greater connection between guests and the ocean, and crafting a luxury experience around a single-level living space. When the team at Lateral presented their platform to me, and the flexibility it offers, I realised that this was a great opportunity to rethink the entire paradigm of a typical yacht layout”, comments Burrough.

The second project, initiated by and with exterior and interior design from SINOT Yacht Architecture & Design, project AQUA, is a 112m vessel that runs on 100% alternative fuels. After research into the options available to the market, Lateral selected a 28 tonne capacity liquid hydrogen system powering proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Alex Meredith Hardy, principal naval architect at Lateral stated that “the propulsion system developed for AQUA combines existing and proven technology but in a novel combination.”

Project AQUA.

As we look towards the future of yachting, there is a clear shift towards prioritising low emission technologies – a topic that we will be exploring further at The Superyacht Forum in November. “We can postulate many things about future technologies in superyachts, but we can say for certain that a zero carbon and zero emissions future will be a certainty” comments James Roy, managing director at Lateral, “as international maritime regulations continue to move towards driving zero-carbon shipping within this century we are investing in research and development of engineering solutions to deliver this. We believe that design should challenge engineering. In turn engineering must respond to enable more creative design in the simplest way possible. Engineering must deliver fresh ideas underpinned by a spectrum of technology enabling design to explore new avenues, ask new questions and challenge existing paradigms.”

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