Emirates Team New Zealand have commenced the team base construction of their ‘home away from home’ in Bagnoli, Naples where the team will be based in 2027 for their defence of the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup.
The site in Bagnoli, just under 10km from the centre of Naples is a former industrial site that has been undergoing significant reformation and infrastructure development for the past year in preparation for the construction of all seven team bases as well as a Women’s and Youth America’s Cup training base, America’s Cup event infrastructure and eventually a large FanZone for thousands of fans.
As has been seen with previous America’s Cup venues, the event is a catalyst for major waterfront transformation for the host cities, and the Bagnoli site development is rapidly shaping up to deliver in the same way.
The Kiwi base development will start with the reconstruction of the 1750sqm Mar-Key boatshed, that the team used in Barcelona to house its AC75 Taihoro and includes a 593sqm mezzanine sail loft, rig bay and room to house the numerous containerised workshops that will travel from New Zealand and are required by the shore team to maintain, develop and prepare Taihoro to be race ready. It is expected that the construction of the 15m high and 35m by 50m structure will take approximately three months to complete assembly and services fit out.
Emirates Team New Zealand base manager Andy Nottage has been on the ground in Naples for months preparing for this important team milestone. “This is a really exciting milestone for the team and one which does not come without a huge amount of planning, legislation and logistical hurdles to overcome, but we are now clear to start base construction.
Naples has taken on a significant challenge by committing to the redevelopment of the Bagnoli site within an incredibly tight timeframe and this milestone would not have been possible without the commitment and collaboration of many people. A huge thank you to the Ministry of Sport, Sport e Salute / Invitalia for delivering a clean canvas on which we can now construct the building. Also to the Naples City Council, Mayor’s Office, to America’s Cup Event for their ongoing support throughout the journey, and also to Studio Cavuoto, Filippo and his team, for expertly guiding us through the Italian processes and protocols to reach this point. After many months of online meetings and planning, Mar-Key will now forge ahead with the assembly of the boat hangar.”
Andy Nottage is an Emirates Team New Zealand veteran of nine America’s Cup campaigns and is well aware of the critical nature of the ‘race off the water’ in any America’s Cup to ensure all of the team logistics and land-based facilities are all run with military precision to facilitate the on-water sailing operations of the team.
“Every America’s Cup campaign comes with its share of challenges. While most people focus on the race yacht itself, one of the most critical and often overlooked elements of a successful campaign is the foundation that supports the team. The team base is a vital piece of that puzzle.
From my perspective we have to be working months in advance of where the team is and what they are working on. The start of construction of the base this week is really the first step to ensuring the base is completely operational for when the team and the AC75 arrive in Naples next year to start sailing in the critical final build up to the competition. Every light switch, tap and work area will be ready to go. The clock is always ticking in the America’s Cup, so it is all go here in Bagnoli for Emirates Team New Zealand.
The next phase of the construction will be the team offices and administration building that will commence in September and completed in December ready to accommodate the start of the team’s arrival in early 2027.
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