How The PENTA Building Group Built a Formula 1 Racetrack in Record Time with Autodesk Forma
Key takeaways
- The PENTA Building Group completed a 3.8-mile Las Vegas Formula 1 racetrack and surrounding infrastructure in 11.5 months.
- Autodesk Forma Build, Autodesk Forma Design Collaboration, and Forma Data Management gave PENTA a shared source of truth for design, field, and stakeholder teams.
- PENTA used real-time model sharing, clash detection, RFIs, and cloud schedules to handle late changes and keep work moving.
- PENTA estimated an 80% to 90% reduction in carbon emissions by digitizing meeting minutes and scheduling workflows.
- The project created a digital blueprint for rebuilding the Las Vegas Grand Prix track for future annual races through 2034.
How did The PENTA Building Group build the Las Vegas Formula 1 racetrack in 11.5 months?
The PENTA Building Group completed the 3.8-mile Las Vegas Formula 1® racetrack and surrounding infrastructure in 11.5 months by using Autodesk Forma to keep design, field, and stakeholder information aligned in one common data environment. Cliff Cole, Director of Virtual Design and Construction at The PENTA Building Group, said the job required the team to ‘get in and get out as fast as possible without any mistakes.’
The project included upgrading the asphalt road, building a 17-turn track, and delivering barriers, lights, electrical hookups for TV cameras, hospitality suites, grandstands, temporary vehicular bridges, pedestrian bridges, and a 300,000-square-foot pit building with a tunnel underneath to ease pedestrian foot traffic.
Which Autodesk Forma products did The PENTA Building Group use for collaboration?
The PENTA Building Group used Autodesk Forma Build, Autodesk Forma Design Collaboration, and Forma Data Management to coordinate models, drawings, photos, drone images, laser scans, RFIs, and schedules. Autodesk and PENTA also created customized training sessions that were staggered across three crews working on the jobsite 24 hours a day, along with a project template specific to Formula 1.
Cliff Cole said Forma is ‘a tremendous tool’ for collaborating with trade and design partners in one environment, and he said it is ‘the first thing we’re starting up in the field and the last thing we use before turnover.’ PENTA also reported a 2,400 increase in design team usage with Autodesk Forma Design Collaboration.
How did The PENTA Building Group keep design and field teams on the same page?
The PENTA Building Group kept design and field teams on the same page by making Autodesk Forma Build the daily source of truth for drawings, markups, and issue tracking. One night foreman was able to pull up the drawing he needed, understand the markups, and communicate to the day shift what had changed and what they needed to watch for.
That approach mattered because the job was staffed by teams spread across the country, and the project ran across three crews around the clock. By reducing the time needed to learn new software and by putting current information in one place, Autodesk Forma helped PENTA move faster without forcing field teams to switch between disconnected systems.
How did The PENTA Building Group manage safety and public communication on a busy Las Vegas jobsite?
The PENTA Building Group used Autodesk Forma Build to share the latest project information with the city council, casinos along the Las Vegas Strip, police and fire departments, and regional transportation commissions so everyone could coordinate around street closures and pedestrian access. Pedestrian safety was the highest priority, and current information in Forma Build helped public and private stakeholders understand where pedestrians and vehicles could pass through the track.
Cliff Cole said the team needed to update information in one common data environment so public entities could disperse it to the community. That was especially important in Las Vegas, where the project had to avoid disrupting business operations on the Strip while crews worked 20 to 24 hours a day to maintain the schedule.
How did The PENTA Building Group handle late design changes like the underground tunnel?
The PENTA Building Group handled late design changes by using Forma Data Management as a central hub and by relying on the clash detection feature in Autodesk Forma Design Collaboration to evaluate changes quickly. Halfway through the project, the client requested an underground tunnel below the paddock to help move pedestrian traffic and VIP guests through the area, even while the tunnel was still being designed.
The tunnel was planned as two segments: one 102 feet long with 19 precast pieces and another 264 feet long with 45 precast pieces. After both segments were complete, PENTA connected them at an expansion joint to form one tunnel. Cliff Cole said, ‘We were building as the tunnel was being designed,’ and real-time documentation helped the team make informed decisions about schedule impact, material procurement, and estimates.
How did The PENTA Building Group keep schedules and RFIs moving in the cloud?
The PENTA Building Group kept schedules and RFIs moving in the cloud by using the project management workflows in Autodesk Forma Build, especially the RFI module and the scheduling module. When workers discovered an existing electrical duct bank inches from the planned location of a seven-foot sanitary/sewer manhole on Harmon Avenue, the team shifted the new structure two feet to the left so it could still connect with the existing sanitation/sewer line without relocating the duct bank.
Project schedules were uploaded so the entire team could access the latest milestones and activities, and the schedule comparison tools helped PENTA pinpoint changes and stay on track. Cliff Cole said this made it straightforward for teams to review meeting decisions, keep information in one place, and find solutions quickly.
What results and future value did The PENTA Building Group report from digitizing the workflow?
The PENTA Building Group estimated an 80% to 90% reduction in carbon emissions by moving from printed meeting minutes and paper distribution to digitized scheduling and documentation. Before digitization, copies of meeting minutes were printed, passed out, and often left on a table, which made follow-up on action items less reliable.
The company also recorded teams practicing how to assemble and disassemble the barriers, temporary bridges, and pedestrian walkways for future Las Vegas Grand Prix events through 2034. PENTA captured 360-degree photos and used laser scanning so future crews can see how the structures should look as they are assembled and can monitor building conditions and utilities. Cliff Cole said that for years to come, the team will have a digital blueprint in Forma that documents how all the parts of the Formula 1 track and supporting infrastructure come together.
Frequently asked questions
How do you coordinate design and field teams on a fast-track sports venue build so everyone is working from the same source of truth?
Use a common data environment such as Autodesk Forma Build and Autodesk Forma Design Collaboration so field crews, designers, trades, and stakeholders can work from the latest drawings, RFIs, markups, and schedule updates.
What tools help a construction team keep a complex racetrack or stadium project on schedule when the opening deadline is fixed?
PENTA relied on Autodesk Forma Build’s RFI and scheduling workflows, plus clash detection in Autodesk Forma Design Collaboration, to resolve issues quickly and keep the project on track.
How can Autodesk Forma support design collaboration on a large civil or sports infrastructure project?
Autodesk Forma can centralize models and project data, support clash detection, and let teams share photos, drone images, laser scans, and updated documents in one place.
How do teams communicate safely and consistently with city agencies, casinos, and transportation stakeholders during a high-profile construction project?
PENTA used Autodesk Forma Build to publish current closure, pedestrian, and vehicle-access information so the city council, casinos, police and fire departments, and transportation commissions could distribute accurate updates.
What does a fast-track delivery approach look like for a 3.8-mile racetrack or similar infrastructure project?
It uses staggered training, a project-specific template, 24-hour crews, and a shared digital workflow so teams can make decisions quickly and avoid rework.
How can project managers reduce coordination delays when multiple public and private stakeholders are involved in a venue build?
Keep every stakeholder in one common data environment and use live RFIs, schedule comparisons, and current documentation so no one is guessing.
What construction collaboration software stack is useful for compressed-schedule projects that need design coordination and field visibility?
Autodesk Forma Build, Autodesk Forma Design Collaboration, and Forma Data Management form a practical stack for design collaboration, field coordination, document control, and reality capture.