The sporting and organizational success of the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona, which ended last week, would not have been possible, in addition to the public-private initiative that raised the funds to pay the fee demanded by Team New Zealand, defending champion, without the remodeling of Port Vell and the urbanization of its spaces, key to hosting competing teams; The Port Authority of Barcelona was the other ‘winner’ of the Cup.
The Port Authority of Barcelona, chaired from June 2021 to November 2022 by Damià Calvet and from December 2022 to today by Lluis Salvadó, although he will leave office shortly, was the one who convinced Grant Dalton, general director of America’s Cup Events BCN (ACE BCN) organizer of the 37th America’s Cup that Port Vell and the city were prepared to host.
Months before the nomination of Barcelona, on March 29, 2022, as the venue for the event, Damià Calvet and his team prepared the project almost in secret to have it ready for the decisive moment.
Calvet was the one who promoted the remodeling and Lluis Sallvadó who continued and expanded it. The two political officials needed highly knowledgeable technicians to carry out the project. And the person who brought them together was David Pino, today general director of Port Vell and then Head of Territorial Planning and Technical Management of Concessions at the Port of Barcelona, a position he held since 2007.
Under the supervision of the General Director of the Port of Barcelona, Jose Alberto Carbonell, Pino, a roads, canals and ports engineer, began, together with his team of engineers and technicians, to prepare the Port Vell to host the six competing teams, even if there were able to accommodate two more
Pino’s decision was to rehabilitate and transform and not to build because it was more sustainable from an economic point of view. Furthermore, a novelty was that those in charge of financing and building the bases were, unlike other editions, the teams themselves and, from the organization, the services, sewage, accesses or connections that they needed by land and sea were prepared.
The teams were given a technical guide for the bases where national regulations regarding fires or emergencies were specified. The teams presented their projects and were approved six months in advance of the scheduled date; a point that convinced Grant Dalton.
The bases had to implement several environmental measures proposed by the Port of Barcelona: a photovoltaic system, regenerated water and a carbon footprint analysis to compensate for CO2 emissions.
In addition, the Port Authority of Barcelona gave up the space at Moll de la Fusta, the large stage where the public and free Village was located during the two months that the regatta lasted.
In the 940 days that have passed since Barcelona was nominated as the venue for the Cup, 23 actions have been carried out at the Port Vell with a public-private investment of almost 140 million euros, not counting the remodeling of the Port Olímpic that has been carried out. the Barcelona City Council, current owner.
As for Port Vell, the Port Authority’s intention was to turn it into a more open space closer to the city, starting with the redevelopment of the Drassanes dock, incorporating 4,300 square meters of spaces open to citizens, connecting the Portal square de la Pau and the Barcelona dock.
It also completed the construction of the new Fishermen’s Market, the commissioning of the Nautical Bus bringing the new spaces generated in the Nova Bocana area and Sant Sebastià beach closer together.
The urbanization of the Rambla del Rompeolas was also completed, developing the Nova Bocana area and the Mirador building, or the restoration of historical buildings such as the Portal de la Pau, the historic headquarters of the Port of Barcelona or the old sheds of the Oriental dock, whose rehabilitation was completed last May.
Built at the beginning of the 20th century, from now on they will host cultural events and events. During the Copa América three of them functioned as Hospitality of the Port of Barcelona and the fourth was used as a stop for the Nautical Bus.
Also notable were the launch of the Time Out Market at the Maremagnum, the remodeling of the Aquarium, the facilities of the Barcelona Swimming Club and the recovery of the IMAX, locating the headquarters of the America’s Cup Experience, the Copa América Museum.
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