ITINERANT & SAFEGUARDING YACHT

Nexus Project

COMPANY

UniGe x Oakley

ROLE

Exterior & Interior Designer

TIMEFRAME

3 months

YEAR

2024

3rd Place in the 2025 "Sea Design Award", awarded by the Tigullio Design District - 👆🏼

Project Description

The Nexus Project is designed to revolutionize the traditional shopping experience, reinterpreting it with a mobile and immersive concept. Through the leading company Oakley, the goal is to create an unconventional experiment that promotes the brand and establishes a connection between fashion and sustainability.

Background

In the near future, the traditional concept of physical stores will be surpassed, making way for increasingly immersive and innovative shopping experiences. With its unconventional and cutting-edge spirit, Oakley is the ideal brand to pioneer this exciting and distinctive new retail approach. Originally specializing in motorcycle equipment, Oakley has expanded its offering to include products for various sports such as surfing, skiing, and cycling. With our project, Oakley is also entering the nautical world, aiming to redefine the shopping experience.

Sustainable needs

Sustainability is now a primary need in the yachting sector. After identifying key environmental issues, we found that Posidonia Oceanica, a vital Mediterranean seagrass, is under serious threat. This led us to research its distribution across the Mediterranean Sea and explore ways to support marine conservation. The Nexus Project was developed in collaboration with the "Posidonia Project," a company dedicated to the study and preservation of Posidonia Oceanica, which plays a crucial role in biodiversity and coastal protection, with the support of several Mediterranean countries.

Technic details

LOA: 22 m
LWL: 21 m
Beam: 5,5 m
Immersion: 1,2 m
Hull: VTR
Propulsion: Deep Blue 100i (Torqeedo)
Batteries: BMW i3
Guests: 6

Solution

Nexus Project: an itinerant yacht, dedicated to the sale of exclusive goods for the nautical world, which will sail for most of the year following an European itinerary, which includes the principals and luxurius ports.

Sustainability & Lifeguarding

In addition to offering a unique retail experience, the yacht plays a key role in protecting the environment by monitoring seaweed prairies throughout the Mediterranean.

Service for the client

The yacht's clients will initially be hosted in front of the laboratory entrance, where they will be offered a welcome cocktail while waiting to enter the store. Once inside, a dedicated host will guide the guests through their exclusive shopping experience.

Solution

Sustainability & Lifeguarding

In addition to offering a unique retail experience, the yacht plays a key role in protecting the environment by monitoring seaweed prairies throughout the Mediterranean.

Service for the client

Results

In conclusion, the Nexus Project aims to present itself as an extremely innovative yacht, from every perspective, starting with the very concept of a yacht: moving away from leisure, it becomes a project dedicated to retail and sustainable research.

Technologies & efficiency

From a technological standpoint, the most cutting-edge technologies have been considered: electric propulsion, transparent solar panels (used to recharge the engine batteries and power all onboard utilities), integrated into the transparent panels of the superstructure; 3D printing, employed for the production of the lattice structure to minimize material waste; as well as the best equipment in the laboratory.

Positive Audience Feedback & Awards 🥉

The project proved to be so innovative and cutting-edge, both in terms of concept and sustainability, that it earned the prestigious third place at the international Tigullio Design District competition, the "Sea Design Award" of 2025. This recognition not only rewards the exceptional design vision but also the commitment to adopting the most advanced technologies and respecting the environment. An extraordinary result that highlights how innovation, sustainability, and creativity can give life to projects that not only look to the future but define it.

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