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Dignitaries of all stripes and affiliations were on hand this week to celebrate the inauguration ceremony for the new paddocks at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve as recently completed in Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau. Finished with help of the City of Montreal ($41 million) and the Province of Quebec ($18 million), the new paddocks is a great improvement, the airy, modern structure to serve the city's F1 racing needs for years to come.
Mayor Valérie Plante praised the new facility for its "cutting edge technology," which will help boost Montreal's profile around the world as a premiere destination for special events such as the Formula One Grand-Prix du Canada. Adding to the Mayor's commentary, Quebec's Minister of Tourism, Caroline Proulx, cited the global popularity of the Grand-Prix, celebrated as it is by more than 150 countries with a global audience more than 450 million strong.
Designed by FABG for the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau, the new paddocks has been built with a pleasing combination of glass, steel, and timber, the wooden canopy in particular adding a great deal of aesthetic appeal to the structure. Equal parts function and beauty, the new paddocks will be a fine addition to one of the city's largest summertime attractions.
Posted above, the attached video highlights the design, function, and construction process (via a time-lapse) for the new paddocks. Set to debut for the coming F1 season, the new paddocks will be the star of the show (aside, of course, from the flock of fantastically fast F1 cars that will be zipping by it in the blink of an eye).
SkyriseCities will be sure to return to this project as progress continues. For more information, check out the associated Database file and Forum thread, and as always, feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.
