AMBIENTI PER LA VITA PRIVATA DI BORDO / AREAS FOR PRIVATE LIFE ON BOARD

AREAS FOR PRIVATE LIFE ON BOARD (Cabins, the “bricks of the ship” - Bricks become the ship: grouping and composition Schemes - Cabins, suites and penthouses: types and amenities). Critical contribution (chapter in book) to the composition and design of passenger cabins/pax for cruise ships. The paper sets out the general principles governing cabin’s design, from the point of view both of regulations and of the strategic interests of the shipping companies. Examples of composition schemes and of the major types of cabin (from standard cabin to luxury apartments) are given. Passenger cabins are conceptually much more similar to hotel bedrooms than to homes and as such must be conceived and planned to be correctly and comfortably used. The pax is the first part of the package to be bought. Cruise passengers, as a rule, once they have selected the destination of their voyage, go on to select a cabin from the various available options and only subsequently select the restaurants and entertainments that can be booked to complete the made-to-measure package based on their needs. Private sphere, then, is the “first choice” despite the fact that it will only be used for a limited amount of time. Professionals, assigned with defining passenger cabins, must be able to reconcile different and contrasting aspects, and to capture the attention of the passengers. Moreover, the cabin is universally recognized as the “bricks of the ship”. The design spiral starts from the base element and the number of times it is intended to be repeated. It is the number of cabins that determines the type of ship. The size of the cabins defines the composition and the structure of the ship. The book, which the chapter belongs, was reviewed in several nautical and design magazines. It also was presented to Seatec2010 as a new and innovative product about cruise ships design. The architect De Jorio (designer of cruise ships internationally), writing the introduction to the volume in fact, begins:" At last there is a book that does not just deal with the history of ships, but also with the broader culture, information and lastly, architectural design of ships. A book written especially for architects and designers, and future planners of passenger ships!”.