It looks like concept art for a sailboat designed to slide over the waves of an alien ocean, but this star-shaped yacht wasn't designed to go to Solaris.
Conceived by Russian designer Igor Lobanov, Project STAR is a truly massive super yacht. Over 433 feet long, 200 feet high, and capable of a speed of 18 knots, Project STAR is intended to look like a star sinking into the sea.
"The profile of the yacht makes a perfect star when reflected in the water," Lobanov says.
But Lobanov did not design Project STAR by himself. The project was originally a collaboration with Alex Malybaev of the branding and advertising agency the Firma , after the two designers began griping to each other about how every yacht looks the same. Malybaev then sketched out a quick concept on what a truly revolutionary yacht design might look like.
Lobanov took one look at the sketch and was hooked. "I looked at the sketch and set to work. The idea was so great that I wanted to prove it could become a yacht," he says.
In addition to its unique shape, Project STAR is fully stocked. It has been designed with a helipad, four elevators, eight decks, an underwater viewing deck, and a crow's nest. And while Lobanov designed the STAR as a private yacht, he also thinks Project STAR could be built as an exclusive floating hotel for up to 36 guests per night.
Unlike some of the craziest yacht designs floating out there, the STAR is actually buildable, as Lobanov teamed up with a naval architect to ensure that his ideas were viable. No matter who decides to build Project STAR, though, it won't come cheap. Lobanov says that the super yacht could cost as much as $500 million.
It's a shame the price tag is so high. We've already seen the yachts of the super rich turned into battleships to fight with each other. Imagine the resulting chaos if Project STAR pulled up to one of those looking like a star destroyer.