Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie's base picks up national award

The Land Rover BAR complex, in Old Portsmouth, won an accolade for best commercial building at the 2016 Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ Awards Grand Final.

RICS judges said the building ‘encapsulates the spirit and ethos of Great Britain’s bid to win the America’s Cup’.

They were also impressed that the development was constructed in just 11 months, using eco-friendly materials, including photovoltaic panels on the roof and high efficiency boilers.

At the core of the building is a five-storey atrium housing the workshop where the test and racing boats are developed.

The prestigious annual contest, held at The London Hilton, celebrated the UK’s most inspirational initiatives and property and construction sectors that have added real value to the communities they serve.

Category winners from each of the 12 regional RICS award ceremonies – held earlier this year – competed to win the national accolade in their respective category.

Back in May at the the 2016 RICS Awards, South East, Land Rover BAR won the ‘Commercial’ category and was highly commended in the ‘Design Through Innovation’ category, as well as taking home the overall ‘Project Of The Year’ title.

Chairman of the RICS Awards, South East, judging panel, Terry Adsett, said: ‘The team behind the design and construction of Land Rover BAR America’s Cup HQ have created a commercial metropolis for sailing in the south east.’