Program Statement Draft #1

How can we, as designers, succeed to integrate something of ours with the users’ lifestyles? How can we increase their level of satisfaction with our designs and provide them better spaces to live in qualitatively and quantitatively?

As designer Jon Bannenberg has noted, “The human form does not reduce in volume when it steps aboard a boat. There is no logic in reducing the size of door handles, fittings, chairs, closets, or cupboards. The trick then is to know what to leave standard size and what to reduce.” Taking this into consideration, what has to be looked at is to find solutions to cope with specific design problems that limited spaces may offer. This rule applies to all spaces that are challenging in different ways.

Public or private, filled with people or deserted, noisy or quiet, dark or bright, small or large, we all look for a feeling of intimacy in a space at some level. Whether we’re at a fancy restaurant or at McDonald’s, we would like to be seated in a place where we can enjoy our meal and conversation without being disturbed by people, by sounds, even by the smell. No one would want to be seated near the entrance, where you will be interrupted by the busy circulation or the cold air that sweeps in every time the doors are opened or closed. You wouldn’t prefer to be seated near the bathroom or the kitchen/service entrance or right under the speakers-all would violate your intimacy and distract you. Even at home, one could feel like his or her privacy is interrupted. Intimacy is a very important aspect of design which affects how we perceive a space. Three times in a row you’re seated next to the kitchen entrance and you will not choose to go to that restaurant a fourth time even though the food is really good. It’s not about the great service or the good music they play, or even the design of the space that draws you there, but about how that space makes you feel. But is it possible to achieve a sense of intimacy in spaces that experience constant changes within their surroundings?

Stable vs. Unstable
Yachts are spaces in their own. Their relationships with the surrounding constantly changes. By stepping onto the bridge connecting the yacht to the dock, you’re being transported into a totally new space-physically and psychologically. You’re no longer on the ground, no longer stable, and even though you have an idea of what to expect once you leave the dock, you still don’t know, because you’re in an environment that will constantly be changing with the change of the surroundings, causing you to experience different feelings each time. How can these distinct experiences be enriched with the design of the space? Should they become a part of the design or should they be neglected totally?

Outside vs. Inside
Sound, light, smell, air, water, wind, sense of freedom, relaxation, fear, relief, claustrophobia, safety, etc. These are some of the aspects that affect how we percieve a space. The perception of the space outside constantly changes due to the surrounding. The sound of the waves and the wind, distant city noise, foggy, sunny or rainy weather all affect the outside space differently. Sunrise, sunset, the sky at night time and daytime all brings in a new experience to the space.

On the inside, however, the perception of these aspects is different. Light is experienced differently. Even though the sounds of the outside are still there, new sounds are also discovered. Some are heard more clearly inside, like the sound of the waves splashing the boat, running engine, etc. and some are more distance. Perception of daylight and nighttime is different than the perception you have outside. The same interior may look depressed or spacious when experienced on a sunny day or during a storm. Day or night, sailing or decked, hot or cold, sunny or rainy, out in the ocean or passing through the Hudson River, the space inside remains the same. It’s the perception of the space that changes according to the physical factors outside.

It’s a different experience when you’re in motion and anchored. The movement gives a different angle to how we perceive the space. It becomes more unstable, however, in motion, you’re surrounded by a feeling of accomplishment. Moving means you’re transporting form one place to another-it’s about time and space relevance.

The surrounding becomes a part of the space-the lights you see from a distance, the waves, the sky, the wind-you start perceiving the space within its surroundings, and they constantly change. Therefore how we feel in the space changes constantly.

Admiration vs. Satisfaction
Wealthy people live in expansive houses, drive expensive cars, dine in the finest restaurants, and live luxuriously. 50% of what they do are done to be appreciated by other people and to make a statement, and to survive in their own society. Some do this because they feel like they have to do it in order to earn a place or remain in their places in the society; some do it because they’re used to it and don’t know how else to live.

Owning a summer house in Cabo, driving an Aston Martin, wearing custom designed clothes are a part of their lives-and they are admired for living luxuriously, therefore, they are satisfied. Yachts are a luxury. Owning a yacht is counted as another investment, a higher position in the society. They pay serious amounts of money to yachts that will reflect a wealthy taste of design. They have superficial interpretations for the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of a space. Owning a yacht is another reason to be admired. Admiration will bring satisfaction. Satisfaction can be achieved by a clever, well thought design.

However, there’s another type of users who own yachts. People who own yachts for their own satisfaction and happiness. Whose lives are very much integrated with sailing, people who made a lifestyle out of them. They don’t just buy a yacht to be admired or to show off their new investment, they invest their lives and are 100% committed. They understand the challenges and the conditions and can reason with the restrictions of design. They feel at home yet are aware of the fact that their environment and space perception change constantly. They’re modest. They put their feelings and experiences of a yacht above materiality and social status. The only satisfaction they get is by spending some quality time on their yachts with friends and family or on their own. Their interpretations of quantity and quality are very much related to how those spaces make them feel.

So how do we design a space that will satisfy the clients’ needs as well as reflecting their lifestyles in harmony with our own interpretations and analysis of design?

How can we make people feel spacious and cozy and not compressed and claustrophobic? How do we make them enjoy the space and make them want to experience it more than going in to just fix breakfast? How do we make them WANT to go inside because they feel good in there? With the limited square footage and requirements, how can a designer create a space that is desired by the user? How do we want the user to feel when they go in and when they come back out? Do we want the overall yacht experience to be continued in the space or do you want to user to feel as if they’re some place else? What kind of an atmosphere do we, as designers, want them to experience? How do we connect the interior to the exterior? How do we deal with human factors, design restrictions and physical factors?

These are some of the design problems that I would like to address to in my program and further develop and explore within the design aspects I find to be stimulating. The challenge is to understand the users’ necessities quantitatively and qualitatively; to appreciate their passion and to be appreciated at the same time; to collaborate my interpretation of design with their interpretations of the quality and quantity of the space.


Marc, I hope I’m on the right track with this. I’m still working on my storyboard but I think I know where I’m going with it. Please feel free, everyone, to respond to what I just claimed above. I will take any suggestions or comments into consideration. If there is anyone who could suggest me any source of publicity or designer who is working on yacht design, please let me know, I’d really appreciate the help.

P.S. I talked to Mark Karlen about my program on yacht design. He told me that he had a friend who has experience in yacht interiors and might be willing to discuss it with me. I will hear from Mark by tuesday and I’ll let you now. I will keep on consulting my other professors. I have also been doing some research on the topic and unfortunately it’s not a widely covered branch of design. I could only find two books so far referring to my program however I’m optimistic about it.