Architettura

David Chipperfield Architects and b720 Architects of Barcelona

David Chipperfield Architects in collaboration with b720 Architects of Barcelona have won an international limited competition for Valencia’s America’s Cup Pavilion. This permanent building and associated landscape will form the VIP social focal point for the world’s premier offshore racing competition, to be staged in Europe for the first time in 152 years following Swiss Team Alinghi’s win over Team New Zealand in 2003.

The project will be the centrepiece of the reorganisation of Valencia’s industrial port into the base for the America’s Cup. The Foredeck consists of a 10,000m² 4-floor pavilion containing restaurant and bar facilities, shopping (including a Louis Vuitton store and private lounge), conference facilities and a top floor viewing penthouse (with restaurant and bar). The design concept was conceived as a series of stacked and shifting horizontal planes, which create shaded, uninterrupted views. Beyond this building a ‘tail’ of elevated spectator decks overlooks a newly excavated canal that will link the port, home to the competing teams, to the offshore racing courses. Behind this tail, a 100,000m² landscaped park develops a strong link between the existing city and the seafront.

Other participants in the competition included Jean Nouvel of France, Foreign Office of London, GMP Architects of Germany and Carlos Ferrater of Spain.

David Chipperfield Architects and b720 worked with local contractor Necso Valencia to generate a project which will be phased in order to provide one format in time for the 2006 Louis Vuitton Cup regattas and an extended landscape version incorporating a tertiary development ready for the 32nd America’s Cup Match in 2007.

There is a four-year schedule of regattas commencing in 2004, each one a distinct Act in the drama of the 32nd America's Cup. The climax will be the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America's Cup Match itself in 2007. For the first time, the America's Cup season consists of more than just the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America's Cup Match. These opening Acts will be a mixture of fleet and match races in a variety of venues, and open to all. The concept of a series of Acts is a new evolution for the America's Cup. In the modern era, post 1958, the gap between competitions has been as wide as five years; a situation described by one notable Cup sailor as being "rather a long time between drinks."

In an effort to make America's Cup racing a more regular feature on the sailing calendar, the series of preliminary Acts has been developed to ensure there is America's Cup competition in each year leading up to the 2007 Match. These Acts allow the teams to measure themselves alongside their fellow competitors at each event, and keep race fans firmly focused on America's Cup racing.

Each successive Act will take on increasing importance as the Match draws nearer, and each is expected to be a ranking tool for the early rounds of the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2007. What is currently thought of as the America's Cup - the Louis Vuitton Cup, and the Match itself - will be much shorter than what we have experienced in the recent past. While these events were spread across five months over the past four America's Cup cycles, they will be concentrated over just three months in 2007, a short, sharp, intense period of racing.

Overall, the new schedule represents an important evolution for the America's Cup. While the Cup season itself is much shorter, the leading Acts ensure meaningful, dramatic, America's Cup racing takes place each year, and allows the America's Cup to go 'on tour', visiting different venues, and bringing the excitement and spectacle of this event to new audiences. In 2007, the final Act will be an opening Fleet race, for all the competitors of the 32nd America's Cup. After that, the Challengers will square off in the Louis Vuitton Cup, to determine who will race Team Alinghi in the 32nd America's Cup Match.

Building Area: 10,000 m² Foredeck building + 15000m² Parking + 100,000m² AC Park
Competition Organizer & Client: Consorcio Valencia 2007
Structural Engineers: Boma. Agustín Obiol
Landscape Architects: Teresa Gali y Jordi Nebot
Presentation support: Indisoluble. Eurekapixel
Competitors:
David Chipperfield-Fermín Vázquez / Necso-Roveralcisa-Lic
Jean Nouvel-José Ribas González-José Ribas Folguera / Dragados-Sedesa
Carlos Ferrater -Alberto Peñín / OHL
Foreign Office Architects / Ferrovial-Ecisa
Carlos Meri / Cyes-Ortiz
José María Lozano / Construcciones San José-Vías
Adolfo Rodríguez / FCC-Edifesa
GMP Internacional / Sacyr-Secopsa-Torrescámara.