The Legacy of the America’s Cup
- Hosting the 37th edition of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup marked a turning point in the history of Port de Barcelona; as the competition became a powerful catalyst to accelerate three key areas for the Port: promoting port-city integration, establishing itself as an international benchmark in sustainability commitment, and strengthening its image as a leader in nautical innovation.
- The event left a fruitful and enriching legacy, highlighting Port de Barcelona’s position as a host of prestigious sports events, a pioneer in environmental protection and respect, and a leader in maritime technology and engineering on a global scale.
Port-City Area
Since Barcelona was designated as the host of the 37th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup, the Port began its transformation process to welcome the teams of the most recognized sailing competition globally. Thanks to more than 136 million euros of public-private investment, translated into 25 specific projects, Port Vell was able to modify the port-city area, providing new spaces and services for citizens and foreign visitors to enjoy during the competition and after the event. These integration actions of the port into the city had been planned for a long time and were accelerated with the arrival of the America’s Cup.
The 25 actions were carried out between 2023 and 2024. Some of the most highlighted ones are the construction of the Rambla de la Nova Bocana, a new promenade area culminating with the new Mirador building; the relocation of maritime operations from the Barcelona Nord and Drassanes docks to the Adossat dock; the rehabilitation of the historic Portal de la Pau building and the sheds of the Oriental dock; the renovation of private leisure spaces such as the Maremàgnum, with the Time Out Market, a new dining area, and the Club Natació Barcelona, which renovated and improved its facilities; or the launch of the nautical bus service, connecting the Drassanes dock and the Llevant dock. A transformation on many levels, catalyzed by the America’s Cup, with the aim of making Port Vell a local and global reference for an open, diversified, innovative, and sustainable port-city.
Sustainability
For Port de Barcelona, minimizing the environmental impact of the event was a priority. One of the conditions for hosting the 37th edition of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup was that all actions and operations of the participating teams had to be as respectful as possible with the preservation of the environment and the marine ecosystem.
The Port developed a guide of requirements that the teams complied with from the months leading up to the competition to the weeks of the final races: sustainable practices in the construction of the bases and routine actions; the installation of a water meter at each base and ensuring all water systems were equipped with saving devices to guarantee maximum efficiency; the obligation to conduct a carbon footprint analysis to offset CO₂ emissions; the installation of solar panels on at least 20% of the base roofs’ surface; and the reuse of all possible materials used in previous editions of the America’s Cup. Additionally, the Port stated that it would not allow teams to connect to the public potable water network, so each team had to propose a sustainable alternative for access to drinking water.
Nautical Innovation
The 37th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup established itself as a cutting-edge stage for nautical technology. With the AC75 boats and their corresponding hydrofoils, which allowed them to sail at over 100 km/h, the competition was also a showcase of the most advanced nautical technology in aerodynamics and hydrodynamics. In this same vein, it is also important to highlight the Chase Zero, hydrogen-powered boats that supported the AC75s during each race. To service these boats, Port de Barcelona launched a new hydrogen supply point at the Ponent dock a few months earlier, a hydrogen storage platform—a tubular truck with bottles capable of storing nearly 28,000 liters of hydrogen—and a dispenser.
Future
While throughout history, Barcelona has witnessed great sporting events, in 2024, Port de Barcelona became the epicenter of the most prestigious sailing competition for the first time: the 37th edition of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup. An event that captured the attention of sailing, sports, technology, and innovation enthusiasts.
For Port de Barcelona, the event was much more than the celebration of a sports competition. It was an opportunity to demonstrate its organizational capacity for significant challenges, to assert a top-level port infrastructure, and to project its versatility, adaptability, and involvement internationally; being a meeting point that united tradition and innovation, sport and technology, sustainability and competitiveness, growth and development.
