The “home of horse racing” received a new grandstand.

Ascot, the world’s most famous flat racing course, was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne. In 2004, the 40-year-old main grandstand and some even older outbuildings required urgent refurbishment.

The new grandstand forms the heart of this facelift. An inner gallery conducts daylight into the building and a hotel, which is integrated into the stands, offers additional spectator boxes on race days.

With a budget of GBP 180 million, at the time of the announcement of the planning in 2002, the renovation constituted the largest project of its type in Europe.

Without doubt, the main attraction of the new design is the new stand with its daylight-illuminated gallery. This gallery is surmounted by an umbrella-like roof construction, which is intended to mirror the form of the trees that ring the course. The new facilities have turned Ascot into a first class international sporting venue, not least due to the grandstand’s facade from GIG.