Mister FOG
A sail moves with a supple grace... "You're just trying to stay upright—that's the essence of the motion, but it's not the same as hurtling along in a race car," observed Frank Gehry, who passed away on December 5, 2025, at the age of 96. In the most celebrated buildings of the legendary architect—the Guggenheim Museums in Bilbao and New York, the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles—the form of a sail is instantly recognisable. Gehry was a passionate sailor who owned a Beneteau First 44.7, and well into his eighties, he embarked on designing a unique yacht for himself.
For this project, the maestro teamed up with developer Richard Cohen and naval architect German Frers, renowned for his high-speed sailing yacht designs. The result was breathtaking: the world was introduced to Foggy, a vessel that looks and performs like a thoroughbred racing yacht yet is constructed almost entirely from wood! Construction of Foggy began in 2013, and in July 2015, she set sail on her maiden voyage to Cuba, where her creator was celebrated by 150 fellow architects.
The name 'Foggy' is derived from Gehry's full initials—FOG (Frank Owen Gehry)—and her sail proudly displays the owner's birthday: 2.8.29.
The yacht was built at the small Brooklin Boat Yard in Maine. The level of innovation is evident in the original cold-moulding technology developed for her hull. This process involves creating a wood sandwich panel with an inner layer of carbon fibre; the resulting material proved to be even lighter and stronger than modern synthetic composites. Foggy's hull features a foam core for maximum rigidity and minimal weight. The inner skin is made of vertical-grain Douglas fir, laid longitudinally (at 0°), covered with unidirectional carbon fibre (at 90°), and saturated with epoxy resin. The outer skin consists of two diagonal layers of Western red cedar (at 45° and 135°), a 3/16-inch layer of Douglas fir, and a layer of biaxial carbon fibre. The exterior of the hull was finished with a high-gloss texture.
The deck, constructed separately from the hull, is made from Douglas fir veneer and Okume plywood sheathing, with a foam core sandwiched in between.
The craftsmen at Brooklin Boat Yard meticulously selected every piece of timber for the yacht, considering the size, shape, and grain of each plank. Every component was sawn, sanded, kiln-dried, and CNC-machined to ensure absolute uniformity and unwavering quality.
Instead of standard portholes, Gehry designed original compositions of curved, fantastically shaped glass. These panels, reinforced with carbon fibre, are set into wooden frames integrated into the deck and hull. In total, nearly 300 individual glass panels were used, set within a distinctive designer lattice. Both steering wheels are crafted from wood.
Foggy is equipped with a full navigation system and push-button sail controls, making her manageable with a small crew—which included the then-elderly Gehry himself. She is powered by a 170 hp Volvo Penta diesel engine and features a bow thruster for effortless manoeuvring.
Norman Foster
In late 2025, the British firm Foster + Partners unveiled the concept for the 88 m yacht, Outlier I. Featuring a unique engineering approach that enables living spaces with triple-height ceilings, the design promises to "push the boundaries of yacht design". Its aesthetic aims to demonstrate how a yacht with a gross tonnage of 2,000 GT can possess characteristics typically found on vessels exceeding 5,000 GT. The project is based on the third generation of Ultra-Efficient Hulls from naval architects Lateral, utilising their hybrid battery-powered system.
By relocating the engine room from the aft to the forward section of the vessel, the design frees up central and transom areas for living zones featuring double- and triple-height ceilings and panoramic floor-to-ceiling glazing. The elongated hull and this reconfiguration increase open deck spaces by 40%, providing ample room for a pool and a helipad.
The triple-height space encompasses a living and dining area, as well as a glass elevator and a spiral staircase leading to other social zones, including a bar and a private deck on the upper level.
Furthermore, the yacht features a continuous service corridor on the bunker deck, which incorporates storage areas. As the studio notes, this corridor improves connectivity between all areas of the yacht, significantly streamlining crew workflow and guest service.
Foster has designed yachts on several occasions. His first was the 58-meter Ronin for Lürssen (1993), which pioneered the military-style expedition yacht aesthetic and was for many years owned by billionaire Larry Ellison. Foster's concept drew inspiration from the flexible body of an insect, reimagined through the sharp lines of modernist architecture.
In 2009, YachtPlus and Cantieri Navali Rodriquez commissioned Foster to design a trio of yachts for fractional ownership—Ocean Emerald, Ocean Sapphire, and Ocean Pearl. The result was predictably unexpected. Apart from the numerous antennas on the upper deck, one might not immediately recognise them as yachts; in every other respect, they are modern, comfortable lofts with expansive interiors, designer furnishings, and fantastic lighting, accommodating 12 guests and a crew of 7.
Zaha Hadid
In 2015, Zaha Hadid conceived designs for a series of 90 m superyachts for the Unique Circle Yachts project at the Blohm + Voss shipyard. The first prototype was a striking 128 m vessel featuring a superstructure whose supporting elements resemble tangled neural threads or a web. This framework, or "exoskeleton" as the shipyard calls it, connects the decks. While the superyacht may seem futuristic, even surreal, it served as the basis for a more practical 90 m design called Jazz.
"As a dynamic object moving through an equally dynamic environment, a yacht demands that its design consider many parameters," Zaha Hadid once said. "Architecture becomes exceptional on water."
Renzo Piano
The creator of the Centre Pompidou, the Paul Klee Centre, the NEMO Museum, and the GES-2 reconstruction in Moscow is also a lifelong sailor. He handles the sails himself on his 60 ft Kirribilli (easily spotted by its golden-coloured mast). Piano built his first boat in his garage as a twenty-year-old enthusiast. He admits to sometimes drawing inspiration for his architectural projects from yacht design, finding conventional architecture almost medieval in comparison.
In 2022, the 24 m Zattera was launched at the Castagnola Yacht shipyard in Lavagna, Liguria. The project was based on concepts developed by Piano and Norwegian engineer Olav Selvaag, who have known each other for over twenty years and collaborated on a museum project in Norway. Nauta Design, together with NAMES by Francesco Rogantin, refined their ideas into the final design.
The concept originated in 2017 while Piano and Selvaag were sailing with their families off Sardinia. The Italian architect dreamt of an eco-conscious yacht that would move almost silently, allowing for uninterrupted communion with nature. Zattera (Italian for "raft") is conceived as a vessel for leisurely, comfortable coastal cruising—gliding along the Italian Riviera, soaking in the views and the southern sun. True to its name, the hull is crafted from durable wood. The superstructure, however, is quintessentially Renzo Piano: almost entirely glazed, it appears weightless. Inside the hull, six minimalist cabins are appointed. The "raft" can reach a top speed of 12 knots. The diesel-electric propulsion system from Siemens Energy is noted for its low vibration and noise levels, with minimised emissions. Volvo Penta D4-300 engines are supplemented by lithium-ion batteries, and Zattera is also fitted with solar panels.
"Sailing is wonderful for a thousand reasons. For the extraordinary feeling of being able to achieve something, relying on nothing but your own skill... A sailboat is not silent. But the sounds it makes are wonderful—the noise of the wind and the water. A sailboat sings as it moves, and you can hear it," the architect explains.
