
SUPERYACHT #513 January 2005
Article selected from our quarterly magazine dedicated to the largest
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Interview with Mauricio Gomez, architect and designer of the Azimut 116 interiors by Lino Pastorelli
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MAURICIO GOMEZ and the first Azimut 116
The Azimut 116 is the new flagship of the Aviglianese fleet. The
first example, launched in March 2004, was a rather atypical case
for this boatyard used to series construction, with just slight
variations requested by the owners.
For this boat a very different
interior design was requested from the classic base lines of a
modern 35-metre pleasure yacht for the simple reason that it has
more than one owner and although it cannot be referred to as a day
cruiser, rather an exaggeration given its 116 feet, it will be
used for short cruises in the tropical seas. Let's hear how the
Mexican architect Mauricio Gomez de Tuddo, in charge of the
interiors, interpreted the clients' requirements.
Architect, what were the owners' exact requests?
The owners, lovers of scuba diving and the tropics, albeit with
very little time at their disposal, asked for a fairly fast large
yacht, suitable for short cruises, with more attention paid to
relaxation than to formal details, completely doing away with the
idea of charters and representative use. Equally important
requests were for fairly simple service systems, robust finishing
details and easy-maintenance interiors, to avoid problems caused
by lack of specialised technicians on the coasts where the 116'
will mainly be sailing.
How did you interpret these requests and how did you find
working with Azimut?
On the invariable structural layout of the 116 we chose to
locate the four owners' cabins on the lower deck: simple and
functional, purely for sleeping and so pretty much removed from
the concept of an owner's suite. In this way we were able to give
more importance to the relaxation zones, in the saloon and the so-
called "media room", obviously as well as the roomy areas of the
cockpit and flying bridge for life in the open air; careful use of
panels, Venetian blinds and mirrors meant that light and depth
could be controlled, however giving an impression of brightness in
each room. Even from the other side of the ocean there was no
difficulty in supervising the work in progress thanks to fast
dialogue and positive collaboration with the Azimut Style Office.
What work experience do you have?
Our studio has worked in the building trade for twenty years;
this is the first yacht we have designed. We have transferred
adequate scaled residential solutions to it: low horizons,
longitude aspects, flowing space without obstructions and every
trick possible for lifting the virtual height of the rooms.
When asked how satisfied he and the owners were with the completed
job, the young hidalgo smiles.
My friendship with the owners obviously means I can personally
check the functionality of the ideas developed while sailing, if
necessary smoothing out imperfections, metaphorically and
otherwise; however I think the results obtained are good and
satisfy the clients. That's that, until our next project!
Mauricio Gomez, Modern Architecture + Design, Mexico City,
mauriciogomez@madlab.com.mx
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