Project off Raffles Boulevard will take 9 months to complete
Sporting milestone: Artist's impression of the 350-metre-long F1 pit building. The 3-storey structure will house the 36 garages for the 12 F1 teams, race control facilities, winners' podium and hospitality lounges for 4,000 guests. (SINGAPORE) The first infrastructure project for next year's Formula One race was flagged off yesterday by Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang, at a groundbreaking ceremony.
The pit building for the inaugural Singapore F1 Grand Prix on Sept 28, 2008, will cost $33 million and take nine months to complete.
The three-storey building will house the 36 garages for the 12 F1 teams, race control facilities, winners' podium and hospitality lounges for 4,000 guests.
It is situated off Raffles Boulevard, close to the Singapore Flyer ferris wheel.
Race promoter Singapore GP Pte Ltd is developing the 350-metre-long building, which will have a gross floor area of about 18,000 sq m.
At yesterday's groundbreaking ceremony, Mr Lim called F1 the world's third most-watched event after the Olympics and the World Cup.
The race promoter and government agencies 'face the daunting task of building 20 per cent of the circuit and this pit building from ground up', he said. 'But Singapore is a city of possibilities, so I have full confidence we will be ready for the Sept 28, 2008, race date.'
The pit building is described as having a 'simple yet modern' design that is environmentally sustainable and meets the Building and Construction Authority's Green Mark standard.
The world governing body for motorsports, FIA, is expected to confirm the final circuit layout of Singapore's 5.1 km track this month, Singapore Tourism Board chief executive Lim Neo Chian said yesterday.
When that happens, the Land Transport Authority will start work on constructing and widening roads that will form the street circuit.
'FIA will also confirm soon whether Singapore will stage a race at night, and in so doing, become the first venue in the F1 calendar to do so,' said STB's Mr Lim.
Mr Lim Hng Kiang and STB's Mr Lim took part in the groundbreaking with Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran and race promoter and property tycoon Ong Beng Seng.
'The pit building that will rise from this piece of land we now stand on will be one significant milestone that all will watch closely,' said Mr Lim Hng Kiang.
'But besides the infrastructure, what will also be watched closely will be the softer aspects - how Singapore plays host to this international event.'
F1 is part of the government's efforts to grow tourism into a significant contributor to the economy, he said.
Visitor arrival figures are already breaking records every month. In July there were 951,000 visitors - an increase of 4 per cent from a year earlier.
'This is the highest number of visitors we have ever received in any single month,' the minister said. 'From January to July, a total of 5.883 million people visited Singapore - a 5 per cent increase over the same period last year.'
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