Exquire superyacht concept - designed to thrill

by Jeni Bone on 30 Jan 2011 Like something straight out of a Bond film, the Exquire concept yacht from German architecture/design partnership Philipp Kulenkamp and Inken Derlich aims to fulfil the reclusive magnate's appetite for privacy, security and ownership of the superlative superyacht.

Says Kulenkamp: 'The idea to design a yacht of this size was born from the love to architecture and design and the interest in the intersection of the two fields'.

'After taking a close look at the target group it became clear for us, that one of the most important aspects of the project should be the owner's privacy.'

The duo have designed Exquire to have two distinct parts: a protective shell and a protected core, a basic principle, that can also be found in nature.

'The protective shell, the yacht's 'skin', had to have a very repellent, dangerous and superior look, to translate the protective effect to the design. The interior (the protected core) is the owner's living space and thus had to be warm, friendly and comfortable.'

He continues: 'During the process of finding a shape we discovered lots of analogies in nature. Dangerous and fast animals and also those that have a self-protection system such as shark, snake, cheetah and armadillo served as a basis for the shape.'

For the technical aspects including engine and propulsion, bouyancy, hull shape and dimensions, speed and safety, the young designers opted to work with an experienced team of engineers from various companies and fields.

The result is Exquire, a 104m motoryacht driven by a gas turbine that powers a booster waterjet and two diesel engines, that power two propellers. With its 30500kw, it reaches a top speed of 32 knots and a cruising speed of 22 knots. Its cruising range is ideally equipped for transatlantic trips.

Adds Kulenkamp: 'Due to Exquire's high top speed (which to us was a fundamental part of the design concept) we ended up having less space on board and thus had to come up with a new modular interior system.'

Exquire acommodates 8-10 guests in 4-5 spacious cabins and 28 crew members. To have the most possible flexibility in the use of space, Exquire has an exchangable module on the aft deck. That way her interior can be adjusted to the user's needs.

The module is supplied by the main duct directly forward of where it is sitting.

'To illustrate the modular concept we designed a few possible module versions: business, wellness, lounge, toy module and a safe room module,' explains Kulenkamp. 'This makes it possible for the owner to adjust exquires space directly to geografical matters, number of guests or personal preferences.'

Due to its small draft, Exquire only has one deck below waterline. Crew quarters are located on the lower and main deck. also on the main deckare half of the guest cabins rescue boats a limo tender and the huge main lounge with a ceiling height of 3.5m.

The module is located on the aft part of the bridge deck. Forward of the module are more guest cabins, the wheelhouse and the lower part of the spacious maisonette owner's cabin.

A big exterior deck with helipad and the owner's sleeping area are located on the owner's deck. The observatory and the huge spy glass windows provide breathtaking views to the owner and his guests without compromising their privacy.

The Exquire is a yacht designed with a technophile in mind. 'The ideal owner loves radical design,' says Kulenkamp. 'As a design study, Exquire is not just to be another out of the world project, but one that could in theory be realized. It is supposed to explore new ways in modern yacht design and inspire!'

More at www.exquire.de