Project details: 

APP’s Event Experience Takes Pole Position at Formula 1™ QANTAS Australian Grand Prix 

APP has extensive experience in building and managing sports infrastructure; expertise recognised by the Australia Grand Prix Corporation when they required a project manager to stage Melbourne’s 2010-2012 Formula 1TM Grand Prix.

“This was a particularly exciting event,” says Noel Landry, General Manager Events, “because our people have that essential background of core skills that comes from managing large, critical events.”

APP has performed key management roles in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the Brisbane 2001 Goodwill Games, Sydney’s Volvo Ocean Race stopover and the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, plus many other smaller scale events.

For the Grand Prix, APP was appointed Engineering Project Managers, and since 2010 have worked with the Australia Grand Prix Corporation, to construct a 5.3km temporary race track in the midst of Melbourne’s busy Albert Park. The project featured a nine-week build, one week of racing and a further month to renovate and restore the park to regular use.

This infrastructure project is one of the world’s largest and most complex – over 20,000 seats, 27 km of mesh fencing, thousands of concrete safety barriers as well as temporary catering, toilets and overpasses to cater for the 200,000 plus annual attendance. This included the introduction of 7,000m2 of double story structures and premium seating areas.

An extensive capital works programme also focused on upgrading temporary electrical services, maintaining the all-important track surface as well as a number of new event presentation and branding opportunities with increased signage and fence wrap.