Qatar's 2022 bid includes recycling stadia

www.smartstadia.com

By Steve Beecroft

Anyone who has been monitoring the progress of the various bid entries to become the host of the FIFA World Cup in 2022 can fail to have been impressed by the innovation of Qatar's approach. I certainly have been and thus pose the question, "Is Qatar's bid for 2022 FIFA World Cup the most technically advanced to date?

The bid includes 12 stadia in all three of which are brand new stadia and a two that will be extensively refurbished. Two of the new stadia are in the north and 1 in the south of the country. All will have a capacity of around 45.000 and most notably all will be cooled using a new and innovative carbon neutral cooling system that will keep the temperature under 27 degree celsius for both players and spectators.

The public transport system of a brand new metro system linking the host cities and efficient shuttle buses to the grounds will enable spectators to have the same accommodation throughout the tournament and still see two games a day. This is not only cost efficient and convenient but will deliver a customer experience that will not be forgotten for all the right reasons.

A Qatari bid official confirmed that there will be over 90,000 hotel rooms and services apartments that will be dedicated for use by visitors to the 2022 FIFA world Cup should the bid be successful.

One of the refurbished stadia, Al Rayyan northwest of Doha, will even have a huge screen as part of the new upper tier, to keep the spectators outside the stadium entertained with flash footage of previous games and tournament statistics

Most impressively all three new stadia and the top tiers of the two refurbished stadia can be deconstructed to better serve the local community needs without becoming the White Elephant previous host cities of major sporting events have been left with. It will even be possible to move any of the three new stadia to another country and reconstruct them for another temporary use or as a permanent structure. In a world of waste and "single use only" disposable everything this is recycling on a monumental scale.

The stadia construction plans are:-

New Stadia

• Al Shamal - a 45,120 capacity stadium located in the north of Qatar, on the edge of the Arabian Gulf. The stadium's bowl shape design is derived from the "traditional dhows" - the local fishing boats of the Gulf. Around 10% of spectators for Al-Shamal are expected to arrive via the Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Bridge, which will be the longest free-standing bridge in the world.

• Al Khor - a 45,330 capacity stadium located in the north east of Qatar, set in its own park setting and designed as a stunning asymmetrical seashell motif. Some spectators will be able to see the Gulf from their seats while players will benefit from a flexible roof providing shade over the pitch.

• Al Wakrah - a 45,000 capacity stadium located in the south of Qatar, set in a park setting that includes a themed swimming pool, spa zone, spots facilities and shopping mall. The main stadium entrance will face onto a beautiful plaza that will create a sense of one large extended park.

Existing Refurbished Stadia

• Al Rayyan - located 20km northwest of Doha, its current capacity will double to 44,740 via a modular upper tier stand. A special membrane will double as a giant screen on the side of the stadium projecting flash match updates and tournament information.

• Al Gharafa - located close to Doha, its current capacity will also double to 44,740 via a modular upper tier stand. The stadium facade will be made up of the colours of all the countries qualifying for Qatar 2022, symbolising the friendship, mutual tolerance and respect of the FIFA World Cup and Qatar.