Escapade Spa-Francorchamps

Driven by record-setting attendance, soaring global viewership, and an expanding fanbase, Formula 1 is experiencing unprecedented momentum. As global interest in motorsport accelerates, iconic racing circuits are evolving from race-day destinations into year-round cultural, sporting, and hospitality hubs. Many of these venues sit within sensitive natural landscapes or protected environments, creating both opportunity and constraint. The broader challenge is how motorsport destinations can expand their international appeal, diversify revenue, and elevate the visitor experience, while also respecting heritage.

Gensler designed Escapade Spa-Francorchamps as an integrated luxury destination woven directly into the circuit and surrounding Ardennes Forest. The development combines a trackside hotel, wellness and performance centre, event spaces, and on-circuit residences. Blending moments of adrenaline and spectacle with calm retreat, the project caters to diverse audiences. Racing lines and natural contours shape the architecture, mimicking the track and the nearby river. Local stone, timber, and metal reinforce a sense of continuity between building and environment.

Escapade Spa-Francorchamps repositions the circuit as a resilient, year-round international destination, extending engagement far beyond Formula 1 weekends. By pairing immersive motorsport experiences with wellness and hospitality directly on the circuit, the project pioneers a new model for trackside development. It strengthens the long-term economic vitality of the Ardennes region and supports diversified revenue streams for one of the world’s most important racing venues. This groundbreaking development demonstrates how thoughtful design can balance performance and place-driven identity at a global scale.