Mazzarolo (Viraver): "Heat losses reduced by over 50%"

Founded in 2000 and headquartered in San Pietro Viminario, in the Padua glass processing district, Viraver designs and manufactures large-scale flat and curved glass, structural systems, and high-performance solutions for thermal and optical control. It supports shipyards and designers from analysis to installation, offering turnkey project management. SUPER YACHT 24 met with Marco Mazzarolo, CEO of Viraver, for an in-depth look at technologies, processes, and prospects in the nautical industry.

What are the elements that define Viraver's approach to yachting?

Viraver is a family-run company with a solid management team and a strong commitment to innovation. One of our key strengths is having all our systems and equipment in-house, allowing us to maintain control over processes and production schedules, ensuring high quality standards, and a flexible approach to our clients. Yacht construction, especially superyachts, is complex, and the shipyard may require modifications during the outfitting phase. We offer a turnkey service for project management, starting with pre-design and extending to installation and after-sales support. Thanks to our direct relationships with major registers such as RINA, Lloyd's Register, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), and Bureau Veritas, we can also handle testing and certification in-house.

What types of products does the business focus on?

"Our strength is curved glass. Starting with the name Viraver, which harks back to the nautical term "virare" (to turn), the core of our business is curved glass, even large-scale. Today, we can produce glass up to 6 meters by 3,21 meters, and we can bend large sheets of glass and produce curved double-glazed units, both cylindrical and spherical, as well as large flat glass units, always with a very high level of quality."

What are the main needs of construction sites and designers?

Yachts are being designed increasingly more efficiently in an effort to reduce consumption and make them as green as possible. The improvements are tangible and measurable: from a structural standpoint, the latest technologies often allow the same mechanical performance to be achieved with significantly lighter glazing, with weight reductions of approximately 15-25%, benefiting the yacht's overall efficiency. From an energy perspective, compared to traditional laminates, the most advanced solutions can reduce heat loss by more than 50%, improving insulation and contributing to lower air conditioning loads. Solar control has also made significant progress: it is now possible to significantly reduce incoming solar energy, from typical values ​​of around 50% to approximately 37%. From an acoustic standpoint, advanced lamination technologies allow for increased noise reduction of 3-6 dB compared to standard configurations, an improvement that is especially noticeable in cabins and relaxation areas. The goal is no longer simply to meet regulatory requirements, but to design the glazing surface. as a true active element of comfort, efficiency and sustainability”.

And the main performances required?

"Weight, heat, and noise reduction. These results are achieved by working on glass compositions, integrating the most advanced technologies available on the market, compliant with naval register standards."

Are these new technologies for yachting?

"Not all of them are new. Sometimes we adapt some technologies used in other sectors to the yachting world, which isn't our only sector, but it is our main one. The company was structured precisely for this; all the systems and equipment are designed for yachting."

Are there any emerging technologies that might come in the future?

"Laboratories are testing a wide range of technologies, such as glass that generates electricity, but today we're talking about laboratory tests on a very small scale. Investment is significant, and the marine environment, with its constant stress, heat, saltiness, and varying exposure to the sun, makes everything more complex. It's an interesting topic, but to date, there's nothing truly applicable on a large scale."

How important is research and development?

"It's fundamental; we constantly invest in research and development. Every new project undergoes a research and development phase, and it's one of our strengths."

What are the critical issues in managing very large and curved panels?

There are numerous critical issues, certainly managing glass with its increasing size and consequently weight poses complications. Thanks to investments in state-of-the-art equipment and systems, Viraver is able to handle these large sheets and extreme curvatures, guaranteeing excellent quality products. Another critical issue is the intrinsic quality of the product: we rigorously select incoming material to ensure the highest quality output.

What role do regulations and your involvement in ISO committees play today?

Being a member of the ISO committee, which also includes shipyards and registers, allows us to share our expertise with the committee. We discuss new technologies and new design approaches. For example, until a few years ago, hull glazing was required to have metal armor, which, in addition to adding weight, took up significant stowage space. With the latest revisions to the 11336 standard, it's possible to remove the metal armor using so-called 'glazing deadlights,' allowing for safer navigation by freeing up space on board that was previously intended for the stowage of metal armor.

Benetti Luminosity is one of your best-known case histories.

"It's the only project in the world to have fire-rated glass without intumescent gel. In collaboration with the shipyard, we certified a fire-rated system, Viraflame, which, unlike gel-based glass, does not change state at high temperatures. In addition to the fire-rated glass, acoustics and heat were two major challenges on Luminosity: they are all extra-clear glass in which we used specific interlayers to reduce heat and noise. We're talking about approximately 800 square meters of glass surface."

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