Dubai Autodrome & Business Park

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

With the Dubai Autodrome, Populous brought world-class motorsport to the Middle East. The first facility of its kind in the region, it has a 5.4km FIA-sanctioned motor racing track, international-standard pit lane complex, and a state-of-the-art grandstand with room for over 7,000 spectators.

Based on Populous’ detailed master plan, a business park has developed around the track, with offices, showrooms, warehouses and conference facilities creating a home for the automotive industry in the Gulf. Populous set the architectural template, designing the Marketing Building with barely any vertical lines to give a stationary structure the feeling of motion. The Autodrome & Business Park has become a hub from which a vibrant motor racing culture has flourished, including a racing school where the everyday driver can learn how to push their limits. 

Since 2004, the track has become a fixture on the international racing calendar. Specially configured so that it can accommodate motorbikes and cars simultaneously, it hosts the Hankook 24H Dubai endurance race, part of the 24H series, the FIA GT Championship, the UAE Sportbike Championship and the annual Dubai Motorsport Festival, attracting the best and brightest teams and drivers from around the world. 

Populous was the architect and masterplanner for the facility, which was developed by Union Properties. 

INNOVATION.The Marketing Building was designed to create a feeling of motion and balance with the surrounding track and infrastructure. With almost no vertical line on the building, the structure defines the DNA of all buildings on the site. The track accommodates both motorcycles and cars, and can accommodate both events simultaneously. The Autodrome also provides a CIK-rated Karting circuit (1.2km), with indoor and outdoor facilities to raise this sport to a new level. The motor industry is integrated into the facility with modern business units and sales opportunities for dealerships right next to the tracks.

IMPACT. The Dubai Autodrome and Business Park brought world-class racing to a world-class travel destination. Designed as the motor sports hub of the Middle East, the Autodrome caters to all aspects of racing culture, from its 5.4km racetrack meeting FIA and FIAM specifications to its club racing and racing schools for the everyday driver wanting to push the limit. Populous was the architect and masterplanner for the facility, which was developed by Union Properties.