GreenBkk.com Tech | Stunning superyacht design inspired by nature's hidden patterns

Stunning superyacht design inspired by nature's hidden patterns

By George Webster for CNN

June 10, 2011 5:31 a.m. EDT | Filed under: Innovation

(CNN) -- It's not often that a superyacht is inspired by the work of an obscure 19th-century Ukrainian mathematician. But the astonishingly shaped "Voronoi" is exactly that.

Still at the design stage, the 125-meter vessel is adorned with a complex lattice exterior that its designer, South Korean industrial architect Hyun-Seok Kim, says is based on an algorithmic diagram by Georgy Voronoy, a math professor who lived under the Russian empire during the late 1800s.

"What is special about the Voronoi diagram is that we also notice it in nature," said Kim, who is riding high after winning the 2011 Millennium Yacht Design Awards for an equally eccentric concept inspired by coral reefs and tropical fish.

"If you look at the wings of a dragonfly, the cell membrane of a plant or the fur of a giraffe, for instance, you see the Voronoi pattern over and over," said Kim.

The 32 year-old designer believes that the unusual exterior would appeal to those looking for a superyacht more in harmony with its natural surroundings.

"Structures based on the Voronoi pattern have an organic, playful, non-repetitive feel," said Kim, who also argued that the pattern can create very robust structures with a minimum amount of material, and for this reason is often employed in architecture and engineering. Just never before on a luxury yacht.

But the "Voronoi's" quirks don't stop at the exterior. Set across five decks, the design includes an indoor swimming pool lined with ancient Greek-styled columns, a sky-lounge, botanical garden and even a small golfing range.

So will it ever be built?

"I certainly hope so," said Kim, who admitted that its non-repetitive structure is an impediment to manufacturers because each segment requires different moulds.

He added: "For future yacht designs I will focus on the commercial market ... however it isn't easy, I like futuristic yachts much more!"

Credit: CNN (www.cnn.com)