David Chipperfield Architects – America’s Cup Building

The firm of David Chipperfield Architects is a premier think tank of architectural esteem, with four worldwide offices and over 180 employees that help design its eclectic buildings for public and private sectors. Since 1984, it has amassed numerous RIBA and AIA awards for brilliant construction, including this year’s Excellence in Design for the America’s Cup Building in Valencia, Spain.

The site was conceived as a unique vista for the America’s Cup competition, that annual offshore racing event that pits national sailing vessels against one another on the high seas. This gathering place and adjacent 10,000-square meter park provided an observation point for the hosted competition taking place in 2007.

The building utilizes strategic cantilevered concrete slabs within its four floors, and the open-air space dominates the structure’s unique shape. The project gave a welcome boost to Valencia’s busy port and provides Cup teams, and their fans, with a central base of operations. A restaurant and lounge areas on the upper floors provide VIPs with an expansive view of the competitions that pass through the harbor. See more of their work here.