Gigayacht "Project Life": A Floating World Designed to Feed Your Soul
You know you’ve truly arrived when your yacht isn’t just a boat, but a lifestyle philosophy rendered in steel and sunlight. Welcome aboard Project Life, Benetti’s newest 279-foot gigayacht and an engineering marvel that’s less about transportation and more about transformation.
Announced at the Palm Beach International Boat Show, Project Life isn’t just the largest engineering-platform-based yacht in Benetti’s portfolio—it’s a floating sanctuary where architecture meets emotion. Think: five decks of cinematic sea views, seamless indoor-outdoor living, and a 3,000-square-foot beach club that turns the open ocean into your private social amphitheater.
This isn’t my first dive into the superyacht world (you might remember my Resident piece on the AI-enhanced, eco-luxe yachts redefining the high seas). But Project Life elevates the game with such intentionality that I found myself re-evaluating the concept of “leisure.”
Yacht Designer Espen Øino Sculpted Project Life
Legendary yacht designer Espen Øino sculpted Project Life’s profile with sleek, aerodynamic grace, while Benetti’s longtime collaborator François Zuretti translated that energy into interior calm—hushed palettes, fluid lines, and walls of windows that drown you in daylight and deep blue serenity.
The crown jewel? A 194-square-foot, glass-bottomed pool perched on the main deck, casting rippling light into the beach club below like some divine skylight—or human aquarium. Swim, sip, repeat. There’s a recessed bar nearby, perfectly positioned to serve drinks without obstructing the ocean vista. It’s that kind of thoughtfulness that makes the yacht feel more like a retreat center curated by aesthetes.
“We came up with the name for a very simple reason,” said Federico Ferrante, president of Benetti Americas at the press conference introducing the concept. “It is a celebration of life, but very cosmopolitan and international.”
Robb Report
Gigayacht Project Life: Flow State Elevated
According to Benetti Americas president Federico Ferrante, the whole ethos behind Project Life is “flow”—how people, light, and energy move through space. And that’s not just poetic: the design team spent months perfecting how guests and crew could coexist in harmony, independently yet intimately.
Six staterooms are tucked into the forward main deck, including a sprawling 1,055-square-foot owner’s suite complete with a bonus space for hobbies, remote work, or quiet reflection. A skylounge wrapped in glass offers immersive solitude, while the upper deck boasts a helipad, Jacuzzi, and open-air dining that somehow feels more like Tuscany than transatlantic.
And if you’re a culinary voyeur like me, you’ll love the dual live-cooking setups that let owners and guests interact with the chef. You can practically taste the sea salt in the risotto.
Green Power, Blue Horizons
But Project Life isn’t just opulence for opulence’s sake—it’s a tech-forward vessel with a conscience. Its diesel-electric hybrid engine can run on non-fossil fuels, and the solar panels integrated into the superstructure don’t just power the yacht—they recharge tenders and toys, too.
That’s not just innovation. That’s evolution.
Final Thoughts
In my previous Resident dispatch, I talked about the merging of AI and maritime luxury. Project Life is a different kind of intelligent design—one that reminds us that technology and human joy don’t have to be separate domains. They can dance together on the sun-drenched deck of a floating palace.
Because sometimes, living your best life isn’t a cliché. It’s just good engineering.
About the Author: Mark Derho