In the cruise ship world cabins are the only private areas on the ship, the only place where individuals, couples or families can hope for some sort of domestic privacy. This is a condition that is instinctively necessary and cherished by humans, but which, in the reality of life on board, proves to be decidedly unprofitable for the ship-owning company. Market economies and logics, therefore, make it imperative that any wishes for privacy on the part “typical cruise passengers” should be limited to a bare minimum. Architects and industry professionals must succeed in shifting the life of the passengers towards the numerous public spaces and the infinite onboard entertainment opportunities, striving to ensure that passengers use their cabins exclusively as a place to rest, change clothes and refresh themselves in the feverish interval between one activity and another. Passenger cabins, then, are conceptually much more similar to hotel bedrooms than to homes and as such must be conceived and planned. Nevertheless, and at the same time in apparent contrast with the above considerations, cabins, referred to in jargon as pax, are 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 option. The private sphere, then, is the “first choice” despite the fact that it will only be used for a limited amount of time. Within the overall environment on board, cabins are universally recognised as the “bricks of the ship”. Each “brick of the ship”, in fact, is a kind of prefabricated container that is fitted out separately and only subsequently placed inside the hull under construction. The size of the cabins defines the composition and structure of the ship; cabins, in fact, are a modular and repetitive element, divided into various categories or respectitypes, except in certain particular situations that can be classed as exceptions that confirm the rule. This paper aims to investigate not only the evolution of design, distribution and accessories in passenger cabin but also the latest design trends of pax relating them with the technical requirements of modularity and standardization of the typical design of large cruise ships.
Nel mondo crocieristico la cabina passeggeri è l’unico ambiente privato della nave, l’unico luogo dove il singolo, la coppia o la famiglia possono aspirare a una sorta di famigliare intimità. Condizione istintivamente necessaria e cara all’uomo, ma che, nella realtà della vita di bordo, si dimostra essere decisamente poco redditizia per le compagnie armatoriali. Economie e logiche di mercato impongono, quindi, di limitare al minimo indispensabile qualsiasi velleità domestica del “crocierista tipo”. Architetti e professionisti di settore devono riuscire a veicolare la vita degli utenti verso i molteplici spazi pubblici e le infinite possibilità d’intrattenimento presenti a bordo, attribuendo alla cabina esclusivamente la funzione di luogo per riposare, per cambiarsi d’abito e rinfrescarsi nel frenetico passaggio da un’attività all’altra. La cabina passeggeri è, quindi, concettualmente molto simile alla camera d’albergo piuttosto che all’abitazione e come tale va pensata e progettata. Tuttavia e allo stesso tempo, in apparente antitesi con le precedenti considerazioni, la cabina, in gergo pax, è il primo oggetto che si compra. Il crocerista, solitamente, una volta selezionata la destinazione del viaggio, procede alla scelta della cabina secondo le diverse opzioni disponibili. Inoltre nell’ambito complessivo della nave, la cabina detiene il ruolo universalmente riconosciuto di “mattone della nave”. Il “mattone della nave”, infatti, è una sorta di container prefabbricato che viene allestito separatamente e solo successivamente inserito nello scafo in costruzione. Le dimensioni delle cabine definiscono il passo e le strutture della nave; la cabina, infatti, rappresenta un elemento modulare e ripetitivo, suddiviso in diverse categorie o tipologie, fatte salve alcune situazioni particolari catalogabili fra le eccezioni a conferma della regola. Il presente saggio intende indagare non solo l’evoluzione nel design, nella distribuzione e negli accessori degli ambienti privati di bordo ma anche le più recenti tendenze progettuali delle pax mettendo tali aspetti in relazione con le esigenze tecniche di modularità e standardizzazione tipiche della progettazione delle grandi unità da crociera.
PASSENGER CABINS ON CRUISE SHIPS: MODULARITY DESIGN AND COMFORT
MOROZZO DELLA ROCCA E DI BIANZE', MARIA
2015-01-01
Abstract
In the cruise ship world cabins are the only private areas on the ship, the only place where individuals, couples or families can hope for some sort of domestic privacy. This is a condition that is instinctively necessary and cherished by humans, but which, in the reality of life on board, proves to be decidedly unprofitable for the ship-owning company. Market economies and logics, therefore, make it imperative that any wishes for privacy on the part “typical cruise passengers” should be limited to a bare minimum. Architects and industry professionals must succeed in shifting the life of the passengers towards the numerous public spaces and the infinite onboard entertainment opportunities, striving to ensure that passengers use their cabins exclusively as a place to rest, change clothes and refresh themselves in the feverish interval between one activity and another. Passenger cabins, then, are conceptually much more similar to hotel bedrooms than to homes and as such must be conceived and planned. Nevertheless, and at the same time in apparent contrast with the above considerations, cabins, referred to in jargon as pax, are 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 option. The private sphere, then, is the “first choice” despite the fact that it will only be used for a limited amount of time. Within the overall environment on board, cabins are universally recognised as the “bricks of the ship”. Each “brick of the ship”, in fact, is a kind of prefabricated container that is fitted out separately and only subsequently placed inside the hull under construction. The size of the cabins defines the composition and structure of the ship; cabins, in fact, are a modular and repetitive element, divided into various categories or respectitypes, except in certain particular situations that can be classed as exceptions that confirm the rule. This paper aims to investigate not only the evolution of design, distribution and accessories in passenger cabin but also the latest design trends of pax relating them with the technical requirements of modularity and standardization of the typical design of large cruise ships.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.