Located near Samokov, Bulgaria, A1 Motor Park is the country’s first racing circuit certified to FIA Grade 3 and FIM Grade B standards. Completed in eight months, the complex combines a four-kilometer track with the technical, operational, hospitality, and spectator facilities required for racing, testing, training, and public events.
The project was developed through close collaboration between motorsport and architectural specialists. The racing circuit was designed by Driven, while the architectural design was developed by IPA - Architecture and more. This collaboration allowed the geometry and technical requirements of the track to inform the positioning, organization, and operation of the buildings and supporting infrastructure.
The project began with a complex circulation challenge. Racing vehicles, technical teams, officials, emergency services, visitors, and service traffic all require direct access to different parts of the site, while strict safety regulations establish precise relationships between the racing line, buildings, runoff areas, service roads, and spectator zones. Rather than treating these requirements as constraints to be resolved after the architectural concept, the design uses them to generate the spatial organization of the project.
The geometry of the circuit structures the entire site. Straights, corners, runoff zones, and operational routes determine the position and orientation of the paddock, pit lane, garages, race control, medical facilities, hospitality areas, and viewing zones. The buildings are concentrated along the operational edge of the track, where proximity, visibility, and rapid access are essential. The circuit therefore functions not only as sports infrastructure, but also as the primary framework of the architecture.
The pit building forms the main interface between the racing surface and the paddock. Garages open directly onto the pit lane, creating an efficient sequence between enclosed technical spaces and the track. Race control, medical facilities, and team support areas are connected through dedicated operational routes, while public zones remain visually linked to the racing activity without crossing restricted circulation. This layered organization allows different users of the complex to operate simultaneously while maintaining a direct visual connection to the track.
The circuit includes 15 corners, a main straight of more than 900 meters, and 21 possible configurations. This adaptability allows the same infrastructure to support automobile and motorcycle racing, professional training, vehicle testing, and educational programs. Each configuration introduces a different sequence of speeds, braking zones, and technical demands while maintaining a consistent relationship between the track and its supporting architecture.
Engineering requirements are fully integrated into the architectural logic. The racing surface uses a specialized asphalt mix developed with the involvement of Italian consultants. Drainage follows the geometry and changing levels of the circuit, while runoff areas, safety barriers, and controlled zones define both operational boundaries and the open spaces between buildings. These systems are not secondary technical layers. They establish dimensions, alignments, distances, and spatial relationships from the earliest stages of the design.
The visitor experience is organized through a separate but visually connected network. Arrival routes lead toward hospitality areas, gathering spaces, and viewing zones positioned along key sections of the track. Long sightlines and changing angles reveal straights, corners, and shifts in level, allowing the character of the circuit to unfold gradually as visitors move through the complex.
With capacity for up to 30,000 spectators, A1 Motor Park is conceived as permanent sports infrastructure capable of supporting both professional motorsport and a wider program of public use. Its architecture emerges directly from the demands of speed, safety, visibility, access, and performance. Rather than separating engineering from design, the project brings buildings, landscape, and infrastructure together as a single spatial system.
