The Designer

Philippe Briand [56] has always been passionate about boats and designed his first sailing boat at the age of 16.

Born into a family where sailing and racing formed part of a strong family tradition in yachts, he quickly excelled to become a skilled helmsman, winning two World Championships during the 1980s.

Arising from his love of racing yachts, Philippe qualified as a naval architect and since then has designed a number of high performance sailing yachts, winning ‘Design of the Year’ award three times. As a result of his experience and in depth knowledge of hydrodynamics, he was invited to design efficient motor yachts, the Vitruvius® Yachts.

From the outset, the most basic tenet of his designs for Vitruvius® Yachts Ltd has been his determination to ensure efficiency and sustainability through an optimal hull design.

Today more than 12, 000 boats have been constructed based on designs by Philippe Briand.

They are built all over the world in France, Great Britain, Sweden, Holland, Germany, Italy, the United States, and New Zealand & Japan.

Philippe heads up the design teams in London and in La Rochelle, France. He lives in London.

Words from Philippe Briand

“There is no more delightful way of life for a ‘sea lover’ than on a yacht - either a sailing or motor yacht.

It gives me great and genuine pleasure to be involved in the realisation of ‘sea lovers’ dreams as their naval architect. Through listening to my clients’ exact needs and requirements and nurturing their aspirations, I aim not only to satisfy their needs but to transcend their wishes.

Yachts are always the realisation of a dream. However, in today’s world I find it hard to justify the reality of how these dream yachts will affect our environment and the basic livelihood of future generations, which is why I have designed this new breed of efficient, sustainable yachts for Vitruvius®.

As a whole, the yachting industry has been driven forward by the ideas of our exceptional clients. They are clients with real ambitions and vision, people that innovate and are at the forefront of their industries. It is my opinion that these qualities, combined with the industry’s strive for excellence, should be the drivers of true progress in our field.

As a result, at the root of Vitruvius® Yacht design is our determination to ensure sustainability and ecological awareness. Together with our clients, Vitruvius® Yachts have put into practice what others have only talked about.”