As part of a renewal agreement for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, the city of Montreal had to replace the existing temporary structures with a larger permanent building that would more adequately meet the needs of the event

renewal agreement for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix

Fact File
Project name: F1 Canadian Grand Prix-New Paddock
Location: Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montreal, QC
Commissioning date: May 2019
Client: Société du Parc Jean Drapeau
Architect: FABG
Photo credits: Steve Montpetit

Awards and Recognitions
Award of Excellence, Canadian Architect - 2018
Mention en innovation de l’OAQ - 2020
Grand Prix d’excellence de l’OAQ - 2020

renewal agreement for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix

To facilitate completion of the $50 million project in the 10 free months between the two Grand Prix editions, the building was designed as an assembly of prefabricated parts including concrete panels, steel beams and columns, CLT wooden beams and panels, curtain walls, and removable partitions. It can also be easily disassembled, and the materials recycled.

The new paddock includes garages for the teams, offices for the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and the promoter, a lounge area for 5,000 people and a Multimedia Center.

The lounge areas have no exterior walls and are not air-conditioned; the interior spaces are minimally finished. The new paddock will accommodate up to 13 stables, each of which will have two front access for single-seaters, drivers and technical teams, as well as a service access located at the rear of the building for equipment or for quick access to the hospitality area.

Designed without a permanent division, the garage space is modular. Temporary partitions will be used to create the desired divisions and thus suit the technical needs of this constantly evolving sport.

The building has been designed to multiply the views on the racetrack, and also on the entire environment of the park that surrounds it, with the development of several terraces on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

renewal agreement for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix

Accessibility has been completely redesigned: the entire ground floor is on the same level as the ground and the floors are accessible via a panoramic glass elevator. Bleachers and bathrooms are also provided to ensure universal accessibility and ease of travel.

The structure of the roof of 1425 m3 is made of wood, a durable and renewable material. Since, during its growth, wood captures CO2 from the atmosphere and sequesters it in its fibre, this volume of wood corresponds to the sequestration of more than 1,000 tons of CO2. Wood is thus considered carbo-negative, which means that not only does the use of wood in construction generate low carbon emissions, but also helps to remove additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The waterproofing of the roof is carried out with an elastomeric coating covered with white mineral granules in order to limit the heat island effect and the temperature rise for the spectators.

The solar photovoltaic panels on the terrace total 64 m2 and would store enough solar energy in one year to compensate for the energy expenditure required for the complete building at a Grand Prix.

The wood used for the beams, in the form of glued and cross-laminated (CLT), as well as for the decking, in the form of cross-laminated, comes from northern Quebec. The precast concrete parts come from a Quebec company, as do the curtain walls and the steel structure. The division into several separate batches of the structure (concrete, steel, wood) allowed simultaneous production in the factory of colossal quantities of material as well as their erection in a very limited period, and despite a harsh winter.