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$500 Million Lazzarini Avanguardia Has a Moveable Swan Neck

By Mark Jessen - News Published: 8 May 2023

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The story of the ugly duckling has inspired generations of children, and now the titular hero—an elegant swan—is serving as more inspiration. This time, the swan has inspired yacht builder Pierpaolo Lazzarini to create a mega yacht that has a striking resemblance to the waterfowl. The Avanguardia concept sports a uniquely positioned control tower situated atop a long “neck,” which combines with the swooping lines of the yacht to make it look just like a swan.

RELATED: Lazzarini’s $12 Billion Terayacht is a Floating City in the Shape of a Turtle

“The idea is to take inspiration from nature,” says Lazzarini. “We believe that nature already gives us the necessary design shapes to conceive new designs, so we based it on a swan—which is actually also our logo—because we believe it’s one of the most elegant animals in the way it moves, in the way it eats, and everything.”

The Avanguardia Swan Yacht measures 137 metres and is controlled by the “head,” which in a morbid twist for any other swan is detachable and can transform into an auxiliary boat measuring 16 meters. It was a difficult design to come up with. Lazzarini confesses to going through six different designs before landing on the final one. “Before, we had a real crane for the neck, which was working properly but it was not so nice in terms of design. The difficulty was to make it look cool and not like a crane,” says Lazzarini.

When attached and running the boat, the control head can lower or raise itself for enhanced steering and visibility. The swan yacht also has two jet capsules that can be attached to the yacht to act as auxiliary propulsion. The yacht has five decks with space for up to 60 passengers (there are accommodations for 24 guests, 12 staff, and 10 crew). Lazzarini envisions the craft being powered by two fully electric side engines, which would allow the yacht to glide silently just like its inspiration does. The twin motors would be capable of 18 knots. And as if that isn’t enough, the swan is large enough to house two helicopters on board.

While the Avanguardia is currently just a concept, Lazzarini claims that it could become a reality if there were a client willing to invest the $500,000,000 needed for its construction. If you have the spare change, you could help this ugly duckling realize its full potential as a beautiful swan.

Visit Lazzarini Design Studio