Bannenberg & Rowell discuss top 4 exterior design features of 70m Feadship superyacht Joy

The launch of 70 metre Feadship superyacht Joy earlier this year marked a significant milestone for London-based studio Bannenberg & Rowell, as their first exterior design. We spoke to company leader Dickie Bannenberg and director of exterior design James Carley to get the inside story.

1. The sculpted superstructure

The owner of Joy was keen to create something “totally different to every other yacht” and this is something Bannenberg embraced: “This is our first new exterior design so we were keen to explore different routes to what we had worked on before.

“Joy is the first visible exterior design of a new era for us. The wealth of concave shapes in the superstructure and judicious use of surface texturing have given Joy a design language and identity all her own.”

The superstructure certainly fulfils this brief — by building on the design language established through Bannenberg & Rowell’s concept work, this textured surface is immediately recognisable.

As well as the aesthetic appeal of this design, it also has some practical benefits. “We wanted to connect with the surroundings, to garner the best views out and allow as much light in as possible,” Carley explained.

“Chamfering the edges effectively raises the external ceilings both around the side walkways and the overhanging aft decks. Lowering the bulwarks further increased the daylight openings.”

At launch, Joy measured up at 70.00 metres LOA, but she wasn’t always meant to be this length, as Bannenberg revealed: “The yacht was lengthened from 63 metres to 70 metres fairly early in the production cycle. This was mainly forward of the main superstructure and so didn’t affect the exterior design too much.”

However, this extension creates an expansive foredeck, which is strongly linked to the main deck master cabin, via floor-to-ceiling windows that encourage an interaction between the internal and external spaces.

The beach club on Joy is another stand-out feature that emphasises the connection between internal and external spaces. This area can be accessed in two ways — either from the large bathing platform via a hinging transom, or directly from the aft deck through the “bomber doors” that open up to reveal a large staircase.

“We started out with an architecture developed by Feadship which, to some extent, we were allowed to manipulate, initially by repositioning areas and introducing horizontal and vertical connectivity between adjacent spaces. This created an ease of flow and movement around the yacht,” Carley added.

The fine craftsmanship that went into Joy can be seen in the small details, such as the teak planking on the elegantly curved side decks.

As Bannenberg concluded: “We’ve worked on a dozen interior design projects for Feadship over the past 5-6 years and there is no more professional outfit to work with.”

Looking to the future and Joy could be the first of many Bannenberg & Rowell exteriors, according to Carley, who added: “We are currently in the process of working on other projects that further develop our design language and architectural philosophies.”