Ben Ainslie Racing HQ
Client: Ben Ainslie Racing
Our Approach
We worked alongside HGP Architects on the prestigious Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) headquarters in the heart of Portsmouth.
The £12m facility provides state-of-the-art craft design, construction and development of the Ben Ainslie Racing, America’s Cup boats. Also included is a sports science and fitness suite, a visitors’ centre and VIP suite, features of which truly set the centre apart from others within the category.
Completed in 2015, the headquarters are home to the 1851 Trust, a charitable trust that aims to inspire and engage a new generation through sailing and the marine industry. Importantly it provides young people with the education, skills and training to become innovators of the future and stewards of the marine environment. The Duchess of Cambridge is also Royal Patron of the charity.
With our sustainability design led MEP solutions, the facility achieved a BREEAM rating of Excellent and EPC Rating A.
The team adopted PassivHaus principles from the outset to drastically reduce energy demands and thus minimise carbon emissions. A series of photovoltaic arrays generate power to supply the centre. Rainwater and greywater harvesting system are used, taking collected rainwater and irrigating a number of internal facilities.
Further to this, CPW were integral to the evaluation for the buildings thermal properties, air permeability and solar transmittance. Our building physics team advised on the inclusion of an innovative fabric facade which pre-heats the air between the fabric and the 2670sq.m building, a fabric which also creates solar shading and a wind barrier, enabling natural ventilation even when coastal wind speeds are high.
The 27m tall centre was developed with zero carbon in mind and so for futureproofing, bolt-on technologies can be added and linked in, thereby improving the overall carbon footprint.
The centre achieved international standard, ISO 20121, which provides a framework for delivery of sustainable operations throughout the project's activities.
