Project Crystal Will Razzle, Dazzle and Glow in the Dark If It’s Ever Built

Here is a concept that checks all the boxes, including the one where it’s more environmentally friendly than many other vessels of its size. It’s the latest from Nick Stark Design, a superyacht called Project Crystal, which could very well be one of the most stunning ideations revealed in recent months.

Superyachts are hardly ever what you might call “ugly,” but they stick to traditional design for the hull and superstructure most of the time. However, should this project ever get picked up, it would be an instant attention-magnet, because it comes with a sleek profile and an unmistakable silhouette, rendered truly unique by a superstructure wrapped in deceivingly-delicate-looking lattice work. It has the razzle and dazzle of a true winner and, should this not be enough for its (hypothetical) future owner, it also glows in the dark.

Project Crystal is a 308-foot (94-meter) superyacht with five decks and more working in its favor than just good looks. Should it ever be built, it would also be efficient and powerful, luxurious, and with a downsized footprint for the sake of the environment.

The name is inspired by the lattice work on the superstructure, and the design philosophy behind it is that it’s the vehicle for a celebratory aesthetic. “We wanted to create an aesthetic that is celebratory,” Stark, the stylist and naval architect behind the design, tells Boat International. “The lines flow up and across, both lifting our gaze and also guiding it to what is around us: the people, the community and the environment.”

Like many other superyachts, Project Crystal is designed to enhance the guests’ experience at sea, both in terms of experiencing nature and each other’s company. The former is achieved through the inclusion of lots of glazing to erase boundaries with the exterior. The latter is done by means of luxury amenities, including no less than three pools, a touch-and-go helipad, and what one assumes will be top-notch entertainment and wellness options, like a gym, spa, and socializing areas.

The design studio did not elaborate on the interior, neither in print nor visually, but with a volume of 2,500 GT, you have all the space you need to create a haven at sea for the most discerning or demanding owner. What renders for the project do show are the three pools: a private jacuzzi on the owner’s deck, a pool on the aft deck in the party sun, and a third spa-like pool on the sundeck. This one would have a glazed bottom, allowing light to shine through it onto the lounge on the owner’s deck, creating an “atrium-like effect […] that is both soothing and dynamic.”

Project Crystal would be perfect for global navigation, the design studio says. It would have a hybrid propulsion system with twin shaft controllable pitch props and comply with with R.E.G. Large Yacht Code, which includes the 13-36 Passenger Yacht Code (PYC). That means that accommodation on board would be for, you guessed it, 13 to 36 passengers, and all design, construction and safety stipulations would be observed for the safety of the guests and crew, and the protection of the environment.

Speaking of protecting the environment, Project Crystal would feature a hydro-dynamically improved hull for maximum efficiency. Special glazing arrangements would be used to reduce solar glare and maintain the vast rooms cooler.

In short, Project Crystal is a beautiful dream for a more sustainable future, albeit a dream achievable by only a few. The design studio doesn’t say it outright, but you get the feeling that its existence, if only in digital form, for the time being, is more about showing that sustainability can be achieved without compromise to form and function.