diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codebuild/README.md b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codebuild/README.md
index 4408964272142..898a365930cfa 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codebuild/README.md
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codebuild/README.md
@@ -80,6 +80,15 @@ const project = new codebuild.Project(this, 'MyProject', {
 }
 ```
 
+You can also add the Project to the Pipeline directly:
+
+```ts
+// equivalent to the code above:
+project.addBuildToPipeline(buildStage, 'CodeBuild', {
+    inputArtifact: sourceAction.artifact,
+})
+```
+
 ### Using Project as an event target
 
 The `Project` construct implements the `IEventRuleTarget` interface. This means that it can be
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codebuild/lib/pipeline-actions.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codebuild/lib/pipeline-actions.ts
index 62ffb9198e4da..00de516c4e5e3 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codebuild/lib/pipeline-actions.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codebuild/lib/pipeline-actions.ts
@@ -3,9 +3,11 @@ import cdk = require('@aws-cdk/cdk');
 import { ProjectRef } from './project';
 
 /**
- * Construction properties of the {@link PipelineBuildAction CodeBuild build CodePipeline Action}.
+ * Common properties for creating {@link PipelineBuildAction} -
+ * either directly, through its constructor,
+ * or through {@link ProjectRef#addBuildToPipeline}.
  */
-export interface PipelineBuildActionProps extends codepipeline.CommonActionProps {
+export interface CommonPipelineBuildActionProps {
     /**
      * The source to use as input for this build
      */
@@ -15,7 +17,12 @@ export interface PipelineBuildActionProps extends codepipeline.CommonActionProps
      * The name of the build's output artifact
      */
     artifactName?: string;
+}
 
+/**
+ * Construction properties of the {@link PipelineBuildAction CodeBuild build CodePipeline Action}.
+ */
+export interface PipelineBuildActionProps extends CommonPipelineBuildActionProps, codepipeline.CommonActionProps {
     /**
      * The build project
      */
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codebuild/lib/project.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codebuild/lib/project.ts
index 7ff73c7276df1..23a70fb82ef38 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codebuild/lib/project.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codebuild/lib/project.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import cloudwatch = require('@aws-cdk/aws-cloudwatch');
+import codepipeline = require('@aws-cdk/aws-codepipeline-api');
 import events = require('@aws-cdk/aws-events');
 import iam = require('@aws-cdk/aws-iam');
 import kms = require('@aws-cdk/aws-kms');
@@ -6,6 +7,7 @@ import s3 = require('@aws-cdk/aws-s3');
 import cdk = require('@aws-cdk/cdk');
 import { BuildArtifacts, CodePipelineBuildArtifacts, NoBuildArtifacts } from './artifacts';
 import { cloudformation, ProjectArn, ProjectName } from './codebuild.generated';
+import { CommonPipelineBuildActionProps, PipelineBuildAction } from './pipeline-actions';
 import { BuildSource } from './source';
 
 const CODEPIPELINE_TYPE = 'CODEPIPELINE';
@@ -75,6 +77,23 @@ export abstract class ProjectRef extends cdk.Construct implements events.IEventR
         };
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Convenience method for creating a new {@link PipelineBuildAction} build Action,
+     * and adding it to the given Stage.
+     *
+     * @param stage the Pipeline Stage to add the new Action to
+     * @param name the name of the newly created Action
+     * @param props the properties of the new Action
+     * @returns the newly created {@link PipelineSource} Action
+     */
+    public addBuildToPipeline(stage: codepipeline.IStage, name: string, props: CommonPipelineBuildActionProps): PipelineBuildAction {
+        return new PipelineBuildAction(this.parent!, name, {
+            stage,
+            project: this,
+            ...props,
+        });
+    }
+
     /**
      * Defines a CloudWatch event rule triggered when the build project state
      * changes. You can filter specific build status events using an event
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codepipeline/test/integ.pipeline-code-commit-build.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codepipeline/test/integ.pipeline-code-commit-build.ts
index a006fbe2f55e5..93609e7242f5a 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codepipeline/test/integ.pipeline-code-commit-build.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-codepipeline/test/integ.pipeline-code-commit-build.ts
@@ -25,10 +25,8 @@ const project = new codebuild.Project(stack, 'MyBuildProject', {
 });
 
 const buildStage = new codepipeline.Stage(pipeline, 'build', { pipeline });
-new codebuild.PipelineBuildAction(buildStage, 'build', {
-    stage: buildStage,
+project.addBuildToPipeline(buildStage, 'build', {
     inputArtifact: source.artifact,
-    project,
 });
 
 process.stdout.write(app.run());