[imagesource: Gresham Yacht Design]

The race for the conquest of space had a great impact on design in the 1960s.

In the first half of the 60s, the possibility of space travel and the future it promised brought forth futuristic designs characterised by geometric shapes.

Movies like Barbarella and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 – Space Odyssey showed fantastic white and silver space worlds with softly rounded plastic furniture.

Then, a year after 2001 first screened, Apollo 11 landed on the moon.

Fast forward to 2020, and we’re at the height of space travel, with the new space race focused on finding a way to Mars.

Additionally, in May this year, SpaceX in partnership with NASA successfully launched two astronauts, Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, to the International Space Station in a mission called Demo-2.

The astronauts have since successfully returned to Earth, completing the first NASA water landing since 1975.

In keeping with the times, design is once again taking on a futuristic aesthetic.

Forbes took a look at the latest effort from Gresham Yacht Design, calling the 100-metre (328-foot)  design “the most bonkers of all”.

Thor Explore is a concept gigayacht that looks more like the set of a Star Trek reboot than a luxury boat, with “spaceship-esque curves, floating glass floor and 20th-century furniture”.

‘Concept’ means it’s just a design at this stage, and has yet to go into production.

Here’s the principal designer and founder of the studio, Steve Gresham, on the inspiration behind the yacht:

“The design came to me because more and more clients are looking for a yacht that they can take anywhere and do anything with.”

“Some owners wish for adventure and exploration and Thor Explore enables them to travel anywhere in the world safely. The design offers the comfort and elegance of a superyacht and includes everything one would need to embark on a true adventure.”

The upper deck resembles a mission control centre, while the communal areas are designed to provide panoramic views of the sky and sea, while the deck below is visible through a transparent floor.

On the deck below, you’ll find a wide open plan dining and leisure area that’s designed for all guests’ entertainment needs.

Choose to sit at the formal dining area, in one of the comfortable living spaces or at the bar, and watch the world go by through the giant aquarium-esque windows.

There is a ‘beach club’ positioned high above the waterline, giving incredible views on both sides, complete with a floor-to-ceiling cylindrical aquarium.

Despite elements of luxury in the design, this isn’t just a leisure vessel.

Thor Explore, if it’s ever made, could end up being the ultimate arctic explorer vessel. It’s designed with an Ice Class hull, meaning it can slice through ice with easy, and features a helipad and a heli-hangar to accommodate a Sikorsky S76 and a Augusta Grand or an EC135.

It’s also equipped with full diving facilities (including a decompression chamber), a Triton submersible and a suitably futuristic-looking 12.5m tender.

You’ll find these toys stashed away in a gigantic futuristic hangar.

Whether this concept will ever become a reality remains to be seen, but full marks for thinking outside of the box.

[source:forbes]