YSA Design Forms New Sustainability Division

YSA Design, an architect and design studio for cruise ship interiors, announced it has formed a division to improve sustainability across its internal operations and cruise projects.

The Norway-based firm said it has appointed Fabiana Vale Dornelas and Trond Sigurdsen as Head of Sustainability & Implementation and Head of Sustainability & Technology, respectively, to lead the division. 

“The creation of a sustainability department reflects our commitment to achieving the highest environmental standards in our design work as well as in our internal processes,” said Jan Krefting, YSA Design Chairman, Partner and Senior Architect. “Fabiana and Trond’s experience working on cruise projects with a focus on sustainability made them the ideal candidates to lead this new and important company division.”

As a design studio that counts environmental responsibility among its core values, YSA Design said it already takes a painstaking approach to materials selection that places as much emphasis on sustainability as it does on style and function. In addition, the company only uses wood from managed forests and, where possible, sources materials locally to minimize transport emissions.

With Dornelas’s input, YSA has increasingly favored lightweight, durable products that are manufactured using sustainable methods and can be recycled or disposed of responsibly at the end of their service life. Sigurdsen, meanwhile, specializes in state-of-the-art design solutions that can help shipowners to save space and minimize weight on board their vessels for optimal efficiency.

Dornelas said, “While environmental concerns have been part of the company’s motivation from the beginning, there is always room for improvement. With this new division, we aim to set new standards in the sustainability of our design processes and materials selection as well as in the running of our office. I look forward to working with Trond and the rest of the team towards a greener future for YSA.”

“Having recently stepped down as YSA Design Chairman, I have been able to dedicate more of my time to the cutting-edge design and project work for which the company is renowned,” Sigurdsen said. “Now, as heads of the new Sustainability division, Fabiana and I will combine our expertise to frame and implement sustainable strategies relating to our materials selection, architectural processes, use of technology, office procedures – even the planning of our social events. I can’t wait to get started.”

YSA Design has proposed advanced eco-friendly solutions such as photovoltaic technology on vessels to capture energy that would otherwise be lost and solar paneling on penthouse suite roofs to encourage premium guests to pay a supplement for greener accommodation. In a recent project, a YSA team led by Sigurdsen and Dornelas completed extensive design work on board MSC World Europa, a modern, first-in-class, liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered vessel featuring cutting-edge sustainable technology such as a solid oxide fuel cell demonstrator and a ‘Baltic standard’ advanced wastewater system.