Swedish firm acquires Italian yacht design company Hot Lab

Viken Group has acquired Italian yacht design and architecture company Hot Lab. The acquisition is designed to strengthen Viken Group’s global offering of design, naval architecture and project management services to both the cruise line and yachting industries.

Hot Lab’s ‘Architecture for Voyagers’ approach to the design of its forward-leaning superyacht projects has garnered the firm dozens of international awards and accolades since its founding in Milan in 2004.

Viken Group was formed by the design firm Tillberg Design of Sweden (TDoS) in early 2022. Hot Lab joins TDoS and the Italian design and naval architecture firm Thalia Marine under the Viken Group umbrella, in a collaboration that the Group says will facilitate cost-efficient, customised service with streamlined production process for each client. Hot Lab will maintain its office and employees in Milan, Italy, with company founders Enrico Lumini and Antonio Romano remaining at the helm.

“We have always focused on the quality of our design and on the professionalism of the entire HotLab team. As a proud extension of the Viken Group family, we can only increase both,” says Enrico Lumini, design manager Hot Lab.

“Becoming part of the Viken Group is something that makes us extremely proud. It is but one more demonstration of our accomplishments to date and the promise of the development of even greater projects in the future,” adds Antonio Romano, marketing manager Hot Lab.

“We are thrilled to welcome Hot Lab and its employees to Viken Group. Hot Lab’s ‘Architecture for Voyagers’ approach is a welcome addition to our group’s global offerings, which also comprise TDoS’s expertise in comprehensive cruise ship and large yacht design, and Thalia Marine’s technical brilliance. We are well on our way to realising our vision to be better together for our employees and our clients, while striving for our overall goal of a better tomorrow,” says Stefan Nilsson, group CEO Viken.

TDoS says the acquisition allows it to maintain its focus on cruise ships and large yachts, while continuing to hone its expertise in large ship back-of-house operations, meeting SOLAS regulations and cost-effective design solutions.

“We are well versed in the design and management of large projects and routinely coordinate with a variety of experts in multiple areas, from lighting to naval architecture, to ensure the best possible product for the end users. Viken Group’s strategic coordination allows TDoS to continue our exploration and expansion of sustainable design within the simplistic and natural approach that is inherent to our Scandinavian design heritage,” says Daniel Nerhagen, yacht director TDoS.