Genoa Boat Show 2024: between innovation and design

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Y8, YYacht, design by Javier Jaudenes, Surge-Projects

The 64th edition of the most important Italian boat show is underway, marking the return to the Palasport in Genoa, renewed to a design by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop

The Genoa Boat Show 2024, with growing numbers and a full calendar of talks, conferences and events, including the fifth edition of the Design Innovation Award, is being held in the Ligurian capital from 19 to 24 September.

At this, the 64th edition, no fewer than 1052 brands are exhibiting, with 1030 watercraft on display, 220,000 square meters of exhibition space between sea and land, with 85% of the areas out of doors (5,000 square meters more than in 2023), over 100 innovative models and 30 premieres.

Showcasing innovation in materials and propulsion to safeguard the environment – and not just the marine environment – the Genoa Boat Show returns to the Palasport, restored to the city after being restyled by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, with a new logo evoking the stylized form of a ship’s bow.

“We now have an enduring combination of sustainability with innovation, forming the cornerstone of the steadily evolving sector of pleasure boating,” says Marina Stella, Director General of Confindustria Nautica. She stressed that “the Design Innovation Award, established by Confindustria Nautica and the Genoa Boat Show, was created precisely to enhance the excellence of nautical design and reward products that represent the best of technological and stylistic innovation.”

salonemilano, salone del mobile 2024 — “Yachting and Design. Made in Italy’s positive influence”, Salone del Mobile.Milano 2024 - Ph. Romano Dubbini

Genoa Boat Show 2024: Design Innovation Award is back

Now in its fifth edition, the Design Innovation Award is divided into ten categories and three Special Prizes – Innovation, Career and Talent – awarded to projects that stand out for originality, sustainability and social impact. The award ceremony is scheduled for 20 September at the Palazzo della Borsa in Genoa.

Maria Porro, confirmed for the second consecutive year as president of the Jury, has the task of choosing the most significant projects for cutting-edge technological solutions, innovative design and sustainable materials.

The involvement of the President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano is a natural consequence of the interaction between the two sectors. They are united by research in the field of materials, components and finishes that increasingly brings the world of interior design and supplies closer to pleasure boating.

“Boating is an increasingly interesting sector for furnishings. Boats are houses on the water. This sector is an excellence of Made in Italy and has developed to an amazing degree, in large part due to the work of great architects,” pointed out Maria Porro on the first day of the Salone del Mobile.Milano last April. She was opening the Round Table “Yachting and Design. Made in Italy’s positive influence” organized by the Salone del Mobile.Milano in conjunction with the Genoa International Boat Show, as part of the cultural programm of the Event.

“In recent years,” confirmed the architect Luisa Bocchietto, a member of the Steering Committee of the Design Innovation Award and moderator of the encounter, “boating has made rapid progress in terms of performance and interiors. For these reasons it can benefit greatly from furniture companies. At the same time, the designers who work with furnishings will derive many new ideas from designing for watercraft, compelling them to work on spaces in more careful and creative ways, and also in contact with nature.”

Design Innovation Award 2024: the winners

During the award ceremony for the fifth edition of the Design Innovation Award, Maria Porro stated, “Leading the jury of the Design Innovation Award for the second time is an honor. Our worlds are not linked only by the word ‘Salone’ but by the many aspects we share. At the same time, the two fields of furniture design and yacht design have differences and specific needs. It is precisely within these differences that we can grow together. This is why the friendship between Salone del Mobile and Salone di Genova is so important... Quality, research, design, selectivity, innovation: these are concrete goals, shared by two industries that can work very well together.”

Sailing or Motor Boats
Frauscher 1017GT 2nd Edition by Frauscher Italia, for the “superb execution, refined design, functional aesthetics and balanced proportions”.

Sailing Boats – up to 14m LH
Dufour 44 by Dufour Yachts, for its “bold design with spacious and renewed interiors, achieved by rebalancing proportions”.

Sailing Boats – over 14m LH
Y8 by Yyachts GMBH, for the “refined elegance of its interiors and exteriors, showing great care for details”.

Motorboats – up to 14m LH
Saxdor 340 GTWA by Saxdor Yachts, a “compact walkaround featuring many functionalities and allowing users to enjoy natural light”.

Motorboats – over 14m LH
Seadeck 7 by Azimut, because it is “a hybrid yacht that integrates sustainable solutions with a new collaborative vision”.

Honorable Mention
Swan Arrow by Nautor Swan Srl: “An elegant mega tender that opens up into a generous terrace and offers refined interiors”.

Superyachts – over 24m
SP92 by Sanlorenzo: “another splendid external layout, and grand interior spaces”.

RIBs
Scanner Envy 1500 by Seascan Marine Srl: “a non-conventional RIB that unexpectedly reveals a spacious cabin”.

Multihulls
Lagoon 60: “a catamaran with character, featuring a fluid layout, conveying calm and security”.

Boating equipment and components
Mercury Avator 75 & 110 by Mercury Marine: “an elegantly designed product, pointing to the future vision of propulsion”.

Honorable Mention
Ride by Seakeeper: “optimal vessel motion management, thanks to a revolutionary software and to a stabilization system guided by sensors”.

Onboard electronics and software
Alpha Performance by Raymarine Italia, for its “extremely intuitive graphical interface, enclosed with elegant form”.

Award for Outstanding Innovation
MPX Impact by Musto, for the “unique and revolutionary design that pushes beyond conventional solutions, using innovative materials and methods for protection against the typical impacts of oceanic navigation”.

Award for Outstanding Career
The Design Innovation Award’s Steering Committee has decided to assign the Special Award for Outstanding Career to Solaris Yachts, celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, for constant commitment to design and innovation.