Trans RINA, Vol 156, Part C1, Intl J Marine Design, Jan -Dec2014 2.1 SCALING FALLACY
Scaling Fallacy (also known as cube law and law of sizes) is defined as: ‘A tendency to assume that a system that works at one scale will also work at a smaller or larger scale.’ [7]
This principle is primarily discussed in terms of
interaction and loading assumptions, but we might well propose expanding its remit of application to the world of aesthetics. Superyacht design is currently very much a process of scaling. Hulls are ‘stretched’ in much the same way as automotive engineers stretch limousines; and superstructures extend to marry hulls, tiers are added. Of course not every aspect of a superyacht can be scaled-up. Staircases,
handrails, furniture etc., must
remain at human scale, though the large spaces can often withstand larger pieces of ‘statement design’: Design with a capital D. Scaling-up elements of the superstructure will of course increase strength, but this is at the expense of weight, both physical and visual. Of course we must maintain visual unity between the hull and superstructure: can the scale of both be limited in terms of visual impact?
2.2 PROXIMITY
Proximity is of fundamental importance to the way in which we ‘read’ objects; this is one of the Gestalt principles
–
Figures 2-3: Benthem Crouwel Wing, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2012) by Benthem Crouwel Architects [photographs by the author]
If large-scale superyachts spend so much of their time nestling alongside terrestrial architecture, might we begin to question how appropriate their aesthetic is? Of course there are functional requirements for the structure and finish of any marine craft: corrosion resistance, UV stability, strength, weight, stiffness etc. There are also deeply rooted anthropological expectations of a superyacht’s aesthetic, but surely a balance can be achieved? Could superyachts be more sensitive to scale?
As customers’ tastes inevitably become more
sophisticated, boat designers must embrace the concept of luxification: enhancing the intrinsic luxury value of their vessels by engaging with new concepts of luxury [6]. This new aesthetic for the superyacht might very well derive from studying innovations in architecture, as traditional
design
ubiquity. 2.
language becomes devalued There are a number
AESTHETIC PRINCIPLES of
by
perceived to be more farther apart.’ [7]
‘Elements that are close together are related than elements that are
The visual information we have available changes with proximity to the object being viewed, as does our perception. As we get closer to most buildings, the homogenous volumes we viewed at a distance change – we begin to see pattern and texture, as bricks, tiles, timbers, and textural rendered surfaces are revealed. The gloss white of a typical superyacht does not reveal its method of construction as we focus in.
It is without
texture, its elements hidden beneath a veneer of filler and paint. Other large vessels are less concerned with finish. Though also vast in size, the visible elements of both historic ships and modern liners
(tessellated timbers,
riveted panels) allow the viewer to read their forms differently with changing proximity – they are thus more in harmony with the port and its architecture.
2.3 THE IRRADIATION ILLUSION factors contributing to the
superyachts’ aesthetic incongruence, which can be explained by reviewing three key aesthetic principles:
Objects that are lighter in colour than the background upon which they are viewed appear larger than darker objects on a lighter background. This principle is called irradiation illusion (illustrated in Figure 4) and was first witnessed by Galileo in the seventeenth century, but only explained recently by Kremkow et al. in their paper Neuronal Nonlinearity Explains Greater Visual Spatial Resolution For Darks Than Lights [8].
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©2014: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects
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