Floating ideas - marine architecture and passenger engagement

"This is the century of design," says Adam D Tihany. "The question, is whether it's any good or not."

Widely regarded as one of the world's greatest interior designers, Tihany has paired up with Norwegian marine architect Bjørn Storbraaten to work on Holland America's first Pinnacle-class vessel: MS Koningsdam. Best known for developing restaurants for celebrity chefs - the likes of Daniel Boulud, Heston Blumenthal and Jean Georges Vongerichten - he's also worked on numerous iconic hospitality venues, including The Beverly Hills Hotel and The Breakers in Palm Beach.

"You mean besides my world fame and incredible talent?" jokes Tihany, when asked why Holland America chose him for the job.

"I don't think my being selected has anything to do with my experience in the cruise industry, but I've built up a reputation in hospitality and that's what cruising is all about. The lines want to capture the spirit of those trends that often start on land."

Space ship

Slated for delivery in February 2016 and hosting 2,650 guests and 1,025 crew members, the interior design of MS Koningsdam is, according to Tihany, an "evolution" in cruise vessel design, spurred by a determination to "set the trend", rather than follow in somebody else's footsteps. He has described the overriding theme as the architecture of music, with a focus on fluid curves and light-filled spaces with which guests can connect throughout their voyage.

Explaining precisely how such abstract ideas are embodied in 99,500t of cruise ship is no easy feat, but essentially Holland America's new vessel will use design to engage its passengers. No longer is interior architecture just the backdrop: on MS Koningsdam, it will become an integral part of the overall experience.

"Take the main eating area," says Tihany. "Traditionally, this would be a very large dining room, but my idea was to turn it into a restaurant in order to create an environment that transformed the guest experience."

Spanning two floors and framed by sea views, MS Koningsdam's main eatery is arranged around a giant, undulating copper sheath that shelters a two-storey wine tower. Curved and straight white pillars accentuate the soaring ceiling, but the contrasting shapes and sheer variety of spaces and furniture render the dining area more restaurant than ballroom. Tihany created a similar effect in 2008 on Royal Caribbean's Celebrity Solstice with the much celebrated Grand Epernay restaurant, which also featured a two-storey wine tower (though it was crystal, rather than metal).

"It's an architectural interior design, rather than a decorative, space," says Tihany. "You can relax in different parts of this 1,200-seat room and feel like you're in a completely new environment. It's much more than somewhere you just sit and eat."

The focus on engaging design is even more apparent in MS Koningsdam's Culinary Arts Center: a restaurant-cum-cookery school that also offers additional bartending and hospitality classes. With the kitchen larder exposed and passengers free to explore the fresh herb room, the emphasis is clearly on participation and interaction, rather than passive consumerism.

"Ten to 15 years ago, nobody would have dreamed of finding something like this on a ship," says Tihany. "The experiential part of the cruise industry is really growing. People don't want to just sit in a lounge chair and read a book, they want to learn and try new things, to engage and be active.

"It's a major shift that's affecting almost every venue on vessels. You can observe kitchens, speak to the chefs and see how they work. We're exposing the inner parts, which are usually hidden, transforming a working place into a green, fun restaurant."

Land lovers

While Tihany seems fixated on creating trendsetting, interactive guest environments, his co-designer, Bjørn Storbraaten, takes a more tempered view. Having worked on Holland America's MS Eurodam (2007) and MS Nieuw Amsterdam (2009), Storbraaten agrees that MS Koningsdam represents evolution in the brand's vessel design, but he makes it clear that it's by no means a revolution.

"Having Adam D Tihany on the team has definitely added a twist. His style is a little different from what we're used to, and we're also taking designs further ourselves. I think these rooms will give passengers a new feeling," he says, "but I've been working with Holland America for many years now, and while MS Koningsdam will perhaps be more modern, it's also more of the same."

Like Tihany, Storbraaten sees a shift in cruise ship aesthetics towards land-based interior design. His work on the Seabourn Odyssey (2009) and Seabourn Sojourn (2010) was driven, he says, to create an "upper-class land-based resort". On MS Koningsdam, the overall feel is moving in a similar direction.

"I wouldn't say outright that we're trying to make it seem land-based, but of course, it's going that way," he says. "It's a way of simplifying the interiors so there aren't too many materials in the room. It's not minimalism, but I think it's stronger to use fewer materials to create an atmosphere, rather than lots of different colours and textures, as architects used to do. However, that demands more input from the designer."

Storbraaten is particularly proud of MS Koningsdam's Magrodome - the vast, glass-enclosed central pool area he has extended from one to two levels and to which he's added various features, including a burger bar and big screen. He is also responsible for the pan-Asian Tamarind restaurant.

Tihany and Storbraaten might have slightly differing views on how radical MS Koningsdam will be, but there is no argument over the growing significance of design to 21st-century lifestyles.

To illustrate the point, Tihany refers to the recent success of tech giant Apple, the first-quarter fiscal results for which in 2015 revealed a record-breaking net profit of $18.0 billion, easily topping the $15.9 billion made by ExxonMobil in 2012.

"Apple sells a phone, just like Nokia and everyone else," says Tihany. "The design is what makes the difference. How long will it be before we start demanding that everything looks like this?

"People are starting to realise that design is important and can make a difference in their lives. If the cruise industry can come up with designs that people love, or are captivated by, it'll be a strong selling point.

"It also says something about people's personality, about who they are. That's why people stay in designer hotels," he continues. "It used to be, 'Tell me where you stay and I'll tell you who you are'. Now, it's, 'I'll tell you who I am, you tell me where I should stay'. There's this ongoing 'me, me, me' dialogue."

"Fashion is going in every direction," adds Storbraaten. "If you look at the cruise industry, all sorts of vessels are offering a huge variety of things. Holland America, Disney, Princess, Carnival - every one wants its own brand and each is a little different in terms of design."

Tomorrow's world

Storbraaten believes that, in future, interior cruise designs will increasingly come under the influence of the growing Chinese market. He also sees a general move away from the traditional, large dining hall towards a range of smaller restaurants, driven by a desire to develop and characterise the dining experience.

"Some cruise lines have already opted out of the big dining rooms, and I think the Chinese will prefer smaller units to huge restaurants as well," he says. "The cruise industry is very conservative, though, and I think change is going to come slowly. I've been in the sector since 1985 and haven't seen any revolutions, but there has been gradual evolution."

Nevertheless, change will inevitably come, and MS Koningsdam's focus on creating a more engaging environment reflects broader trends that reach well beyond the cruise industry. It's common for people to photograph their surroundings and upload the pictures to social media for criticism and comment, or to scan a helpfully placed QR code. And soon, with the widely anticipated Internet of Things - the connection of inanimate objects to the web - we will have hundreds more ways to connect with the man-made world around us.

MS Koningsdam is an evolution in design of which Holland America can be proud. Perhaps more importantly, however, its focus on passenger interaction and engagement paves the way for the cruise ships of tomorrow.