With the recent turbulent times, ship owners need to choose their design solutions and services wisely. Thoughtful ship owners will be looking to enhance the experience they provide to customers while being aware of their budget.
AMK Architecture and Design presents the 5 tips that will help ship owners maximise the benefits they derive from their asset.
Have the right General Arrangement
The General Arrangement (GA) is the backbone of the ship. It is the single most important design element, driving the shape and function of everything that happens on the vessel. The designer needs to plan and lay out the locations in order to accommodate all desired functions and properties.
Passengers should be offered the best possible travel experience with their interaction with the ship being as frictionless as possible, and the GA design must enable smooth passenger flow and cater for the right passenger distribution in the decks.
The right GA however cannot only provide comfort and an elevated guest experience. It can be tuned so as to increase the value generated during every trip, by steering passengers’ flow through areas that can generate sales for the ship such as bars, restaurants and shops and increase the frequency of their exposure to them. Lastly, all interventions made into a ship’s GA should not be considered by the ship owners solely as an expense, but also as an investment that increases the market value of the ship in the future.
Think Interiors
There is so much more to interior design than its title. A successful interior design solution maximises the effective space utilisation, drives function and leaves the passenger with a long-lasting trip and post-trip positive impression. Interior design impresses visually, and gives the ship a distinct character, always in fit with the cruise line brand. Attributes that separate good interior design and excellent interior design is having a timeless design and future-proof aesthetics. Options in interior design can be countless, ranging from fixed furniture to custom made carpets that offer guests a truly immersive experience. Needless to say, apart from the look and feel, a good interior design uses elements that are durable, easy to maintain and easy to clean.
Lighten up
An area often undervalued, the lighting design of a vessel can create the perfect atmosphere or completely ruin it. Good lighting design ensures that every area is suitably lit. This means that passengers have comfortable and effortless visibility of all surrounding areas. Great lighting should bring out the accurate colour and the high quality of the materials used across all the ship. Moreover, light scenarios can offer a multitude of choices matching different moods.
Find your way
The pleasure lies in the journey, and passengers should not lose their way in it. Correct wayfinding through the right signage system ensures seamless guidance of the guests in the ship and eliminates bottlenecks. This means you need a clear design and language in the right spots.
The perfect finish
With all the right pieces now in place, it is time for the final touch. Embellish the vessel with the right artworks. These should blend with interior, bring out the ships character and give a unique sense in all areas.
AMK is a firm of architects and interior designers with a proven track record in both international and domestic projects and a vast experience in more than 120 on-sea and 35 on-land hospitality projects.
You can visit AMK on Stand #1331 at Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Europe, in the ExCel Centre London, 2-3 December.