By
Rebecca Gibson |
Holland America Line (HAL) has revealed design details about its latest newbuild Koningsdam, which is to debut in February 2016.
As the first in HAL’s Pinnacle class, the ship will offer a range of new innovative features and reimagined interiors created by hospitality designer Adam Tihany and designer and architect Bjorn Storbraaten.
“When guests come onboard Koningsdam they’ll know they’re on a HAL ship, but they’ll see we’re taking a forward-thinking approach to many of the design elements,” said Stein Kruse, CEO of Holland America Group.
Inspired by the ‘architecture of music’, Tihany’s design focuses on fluid curves and lines, light-filled spaces, visual interaction and the natural flow of public areas.
“The idea was to tell a story that guests can connect with throughout their voyage,” said Tihany. “I was inspired by the thought of what you might see from the inside of a musical instrument, what the architecture of the surfaces and the geometry look like. The design isn’t a literal translation of music, but a conceptual approach where we seek to evoke the feeling and beauty of an instrument with graceful lines, dramatic textures, lighting effects and use of materials. My inspirations were not only instruments, but also majestic spaces and exaggerating the feeling of height, so guests feel the grandeur of every room.”
Tihany has worked on several of Koningsdam’s public areas including the three-storey central atrium, which will showcase a stainless-steel sculpture representing the synthesis of a string quartet and a skylight that serves as a backdrop for subtly changing high-definition projections.
He will also reconfigure the Queen’s Lounge as a two-level theatre and entertainment venue featuring the ship’s largest dance floor, and will redesign the interior of the two-floor main dining room.
Storbraaten, has created the central pool area, which will feature the line’s first two-level Magrodome, and redesigned the interior of the Pan-Asian restaurant Tamarind.
“It’s been fascinating to work on Koningsdam where we are introducing design elements never before seen on HAL,” said Storbraaten, who has previously worked on Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam. “We were tasked with evolving the look and feel of the ship while keeping it true to the brand, making this an exciting and rewarding project.”
Koningsdam is currently under construction at Fincantieri’s Marghera yard in Italy. The ship is the largest ever built for Holland America and will accommodate 2,650 guests and 1,025 crew members.