INTERIOR V IEW Building on its offering of river and ocean voyages, Viking debuted its first expedition ship, Viking Octantis, in January 2022 with voyages to Antarctica. In line with Viking chairman Torstein Hagen's vision, the 378-guest ship was designed by Richard Riveire, founding principal of Los Angeles-based interior design firm Rottet Studio, who also designed all of Viking’s Longships and ocean vessels. According to Riveire, the initial idea for Viking Octantis’s design was inspired by the unique experience of visiting the polar regions. “Only very few people in history have been able to set foot in Antarctica,” says Riveire. “So we wanted to give people the experience of going on an expedition, while also feeling comfortable and secure. Therefore, the ship offers a balance between an industrial feel, with exposed steel and submarines, and some of the more decorative and luxurious elements that will be familiar from other Viking ships.” Viking Octantis will sail in Antarctica during the southern hemisphere’s summer season and the Great Lakes in North America during the northern hemisphere’s summer months. This posed a challenge for Riveire, who had to ensure that the design would be suitable for both environments. “It was a tough problem for us to solve, because we’re talking about two wildly different places,” he says. “Snow references in the design aren’t going to work when its 35C in the western Great Richard Riveire of Rottet Studio talks with Alex Smith about how Viking’s first expedition ship has been designed to create a sense of exploration while retaining the cruise line’s signature style Viking Octantis 7 0
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