Oceanco has always kept a sharp eye on the horizon with its boundary-stretching approach to design, engineering, sustainability and onboard lifestyle. Those values are embodied by their NXT initiative—a forward-looking program that seeks to redefine the way superyachts are designed, built and experienced behind the driving force of sustainability.
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In March, the company introduced its latest NXT-aligned design, Aeolus. Named after the Greek god of the wind, this revolutionary design taps the talents and skills of NXT Collective partners Giles Taylor for her exterior design, Njord by Bergman Design House for her interior, and Lateral Naval Architects, ABB and MTU for technical innovations.
“Aeolus is intended to have a transformational impact on those who experience her. She reflects how we relax, connect and work in the modern world, seamlessly transitioning between destinations and modes of living,” says Oceanco. “Aeolus resides at the junction of majestic elegance and structural efficiency, striking an intriguing equilibrium between feminine curves and masculine.”
“Aeolus’s design sculpture is harmonious and borne of the function and flow envisaged for her future owner,” says Taylor. “Her curves do not make her overly feminine because there is a masculine quality to her bold, forthright architecture. Apart from the deck surfaces themselves, not one surface is flat or brutally geometric, which provides a unique aesthetic that sets Aeolus apart.”
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Aeolus’s hull launches two dynamic, forward-orientated buttresses to frame an opening onto the sea. A unique benefit of the 360-degree experience, the yacht’s hull design approach opens up an otherwise blocked off space usually given over to suites that are often vacant. Her three distinct, glass-clad, layered decks invite an owner to actively participate in the surrounding seascape, taking in the vastness of the ocean and the light that changes on its surface, to socialize, to host and to dine, as well as to enjoy private time with the ocean always in view.
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The yacht’s vast, multi-use spaces are shaped to make her interior feel welcoming and open, without confining boundaries. The expansive, private owner’s areas are situated on the upper deck. Two guest suites are situated forward on the main deck, adjacent to the gym and exterior atrium, and two VIP suites and two more guest suites occupy the the lower deck, a short walk from the beach club.
Aeolus’s creators have curated a selection of forward-thinking suppliers to fit her out in the most sustainable and conscious manner possible. Responsible replacements for exotic hardwoods will be installed for lower-impact flooring, for example.
“Organic nature, sensual being and playfulness played a big part of Aeolus’s design, bringing that exterior language to her interior for a soft and cocooning feeling,” says Sarah Colbon, co-founder of Njord. “Every element has been rigorously considered, including sourcing and traceability of materials and working with some of the world’s most innovative artisans in biomaterials and sustainable development such as Desserto, a premium vegan leather alternative that is made from climate-positive cactus plants, and Oliveri Homes, which exclusively works with Global Organic Textile Standard cottons and uses non-toxic processes and dyes to create its materials.”
Her furnishings were conceived with help from partners Nature Squared. The Swiss-based ethical materials company has pioneered the use of sustainable natural materials for architectural, design and product applications. Nature Squared, founded in 2000 combines such materials with meticulous craftsmanship and cutting-edge technical solutions to show that luxury living can be virtuous and ethical without compromising beauty, elegance and style. Its creations have featured in many iconic super yachts, providing everything from architectural elements like walls, ceilings and floors; functional items like furniture, bathtubs and washbasins; to artworks and decorative objects. It has worked with most major designers, yards and market participants.
Onboard technology comes courtesy of Aeolus Aura, delivered by ONE. Harnessing immersive technology to create an elevated user experience, this novel, integrated support system assures a sense of connection, comfort and belonging on Aeolus. Using computer learning to tailor the yacht’s technology touch points to her owner and guests, Aeolus Aura delivers a seamless, intuitive and non-intrusive experience that is adaptable, safe and secure. Developed by the customer-focused technology experts at ONE, Aeolus Aura adapts and evolves based on an owner’s unique needs and preferences.
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Among its many functions and capabilities, it can allow owners to wake up to a tailored morning briefing directly displayed on the master suite’s floor-to-ceiling windows, whether it’s keeping an eye on the global markets or learning about the day’s excursion ashore. It can connect to real-time health data to tailor the day’s activities and movement plan. It can allow owners and guests to take the conversation with them anywhere onboard, turning a multitude of surfaces and smart glass into a canvas or screen, with one swipe.
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Aeolus Aura also improves the sustainability profile of the yacht’s climate systems in real time. By predicting guest behavior and preferences, it can fine-tune ambient conditions of the guest areas being used while dialing back those that are less active, thereby reducing energy consumption and waste.
Together with Aeolus’s technical partners ABB and MTU, Oceanco and Lateral have developed an adaptable architecture to enable a future proofed pathway to net zero. Future-proofing a yacht is the process of anticipating the future to enable informed choices of layout, configuration, technology and specification that will avoid obsolescence within the intended lifespan of the yacht. Any yacht built today will have to span the energy transition, a period of significant change in available fuel types and associated technologies. This demands an adaptable technical architecture that can accommodate the alterations to layout, configuration and specifications needed to integrate future technologies and alternative fuels in the least invasive way possible.
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Lateral and Oceanco have developed an Energy Transition Platform (ETP) to ensure multiple technical pathways can be pursued as technologies mature during the energy transition timeline. Aeolus is configured to be state of the art today, fully procurable and warrantable as an advanced diesel electric architecture. In her final “end state,” she would be configured with a 100 percent alternative fuel hybrid of fuel cells and internal combustion power generation. Critically, during her lifespan, a pre-strategized and intermediate upgrade can be implemented, dependent upon the advancement and commercial availability of technology.
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“The collaboration and innovation resulting in the Aeolus design has been remarkable,” says Marcel Onkenhout, Oceanco’s CEO. “As our newest Oceanco NXT design, she is an example of how we envisage the evolution of yachting, from the perspective of both her design and technology. To build the yachts of tomorrow, we need to leave behind the preconceptions of yesterday. With Aeolus, I think we have achieved that.”