Italy at the helm of the newly formed Superior Yacht Design and Naval Architect Association
Luca Boldrini is vice-president of the association, conceived to create a platform capable of connecting skills and establishing a dialogue with shipyards, classification bodies, legislators and clients.
At the Blue Design Summit in La Spezia, the creation of Sydna, the Superior Yacht Design and Naval Architect Association, was officially announced. This international association was created to address a need expressed by industry professionals: to overcome the historic and heated competition between individual studios and foster structured cooperation, necessary to address the complex technical and regulatory changes currently affecting the superyacht world.
The initiative aims to create a shared platform capable of bringing together skills, experiences, and design visions, establishing a systematic dialogue not only among designers, but also with shipyards, classification societies, legislators, and clients. The choice of La Spezia as the venue for the announcement reflects the centrality of an area that today represents one of the world's leading superyacht districts, where design, construction, refit, and advanced research operate within an integrated supply chain.
Founded by some of the most renowned names in global nautical design – including Espen Øino, Winch Design, Nuvolari & Lenard, Zuccon International Project, Van Oossanen, Philippe Briand and Fm Architettura – Sydna has an international and markedly selective structure.
To ensure authoritative representation and a consistent level of expertise, membership in the association—currently comprised of twelve professional firms—is subject to strict requirements: to be a member, the candidate firm must have actively participated in the construction of at least ten units over 30 meters in length over the last decade.
As outlined by Executive Director Clair Rozemeijer and Vice President Luca Boldrini, Sydna's work will revolve around five main themes: professionalism, regulation, sustainability, industry promotion, and market research.
The need for a trade association also stems from a concrete evolution in the market, as superyacht design is now a multidisciplinary and costly process, in which the role of designers and naval architects carries much broader responsibilities than in the past. Increasingly, shipowners are turning directly to designers to develop complete concepts before even involving the shipyard.
In this context, Sydna aims to define shared guidelines, professional protocols, and contractual standards to streamline and transparent the relationship between designers, construction sites, and clients. On the institutional front, the association intends to establish a direct channel of communication with international organizations such as the IMO and ISO, to offer designers' technical perspectives in the development of future environmental regulations.
The debate, enriched by the contribution of ADI Liguria, highlighted how contemporary nautical design is not merely an aesthetic pursuit, but a complex cultural process that combines technology, materials science, and industrial logic. The speakers highlighted a significant shift in the profile of contemporary boat owners, who display a lesser predilection for formality and status symbols, favoring a more direct, informal, and exploration-oriented sailing experience, which is directly reflected in architectural choices. The current trend is toward a progressive reduction in the visual and volumetric impact of vessels, favoring fluid connections between interiors and exteriors, multifunctional spaces, and less rigid environments, in line with modern concepts of contemporary living.
“The future will be to lower the volume,” explained Luca Boldrini, underlining the need to design yachts that are visually quieter, more integrated with the landscape, and capable of reducing their presence to make room for the surrounding marine environment.
One of the reflections that emerged from the summit concerned the progressive reduction in the market share of sailing boats in favor of traditional engines, which seems contradictory given the current era's focus on sustainability and therefore represents an issue the industry must address. The invitation to the design community is to rethink the approach to sailing, developing less complex, more accessible, and economically sustainable solutions, without sacrificing design quality.
The conclusions emerging from the La Spezia event indicate that the evolution of the superyacht sector will depend only in part on the adoption of new materials or energy technologies. The key factor will be the emergence of a new design culture: an approach open to knowledge sharing, interdisciplinary, and aware of the relationship between the vessel, the environment, and the human experience.
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