MARINE DESIGN OF A WFSV MODULAR INTERIOR

Marine Design is an holistic design process with a strong focus on the end users as well as stakeholders in the design process, based on the principles of Industrial Design. Effective Marine Design requires a multidisciplinary design team of Naval Architects, Industrial Designers, Human Factors specialists, environmental psychologists and interior designers. The start of the marine Design process involves developing personas and understanding the needs of the end user. The aim of Marine Design is to improve the aesthetics, human factors and functionality of a vessel or system, and its' marketability. Although the process of design may be considered 'creative', many analytical processes also take place. Some of the processes that are commonly used are user research, benchmarking, sketching, human factors evaluation and CAD visualisation. Marine Design has a focus on technical concepts, products and processes, as the understanding of product life cycle is fundamental to the design for manufacture (DFM) of vessels or any other product in order for it to become a market leader. Marine Design encompasses the engineering of objects, usefulness as well as usability, market placement, and other concerns such as seduction, psychology, desire, and the emotional attachment of the user to the object. This paper reports on a Marine Design approach to the development of a Wind Farm Support Vessel interior using a modular construction system. The modular system was specifically developed to be fitted in hours, whereas conventional fitting approaches currently take days. This design innovation facilitates adaptability, whereby the interior of a vessel can be changed to another use within a day, giving the operator vessel flexibility and extended operating life.