Albert Park pit building takes shape ahead of 2027 F1 Australian Grand Prix
Albert Park’s new Formula 1 pit building is taking shape, with its timber structure and architectural features emerging ahead of the 2027 Australian Grand Prix.
Development Victoria’s latest project update, released this week, highlights progress on the Woods Bagot-designed complex, which will combine upgraded Grand Prix facilities with a new community indoor sports centre.
Green precast concrete panels and garage doors, together with exposed timber, have been selected to complement the building’s parkland setting. Head contractor Icon is delivering the redevelopment.
The structure will incorporate almost 2,000 cubic metres of engineered timber, including 2,150 individual beams and columns and 344 prefabricated timber cassettes.
Australian Sustainable Hardwoods is manufacturing the Plantation Oak MASSLAM components at its Heyfield facility in Gippsland. The cassettes typically measure 12 metres by 2.3 metres and are assembled off-site before installation, helping accelerate construction.
Recent construction reporting indicates the first stage of timber roof installation has been completed, with further work to follow around next year’s event.
The Albert Park Circuit redevelopment replaces the original pit building constructed in 1995, ahead of Melbourne’s first Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in 1996.
Demolition began in late March following this year’s race. The project has since advanced at a rapid rate, through foundations, concrete slabs and structural framing, with work continuing towards a staged opening.
New garages are expected to be operational for the 2027 event, supported by a combination of new, existing and temporary facilities. Full completion remains scheduled ahead of the 2028 Grand Prix.
The finished complex will provide 14 garages, comprising 12 team garages and two officials’ garages, alongside new race control, administration and media facilities. Permanent hospitality facilities will accommodate approximately 5,000 guests.
Outside the Grand Prix, the building will operate as a community sports centre with seven indoor multipurpose courts, two more than the previous facility. Higher ceilings will accommodate a wider range of sports, with improved clubrooms also included.
The completed centre will be managed by the State Sport Centres Trust, which operates the nearby Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre and Lakeside Stadium.
As previously reported by Austadiums, the redevelopment forms part of the infrastructure required to support Melbourne’s long-term Formula 1 hosting agreement, which extends through to 2037.
The 2027 F1 Australian Grand Prix will run from Thursday 1 April to Sunday 4 April and feature Australia’s first Formula 1 Sprint. A temporary 2,500-capacity Melbourne Podium Club will form part of the event’s hospitality offering during construction.
The 2026 event recorded an estimated cumulative attendance of 483,934 across four days, underlining the scale of the annual operation the new building will support.
