Plans for a fourth World Cup 2022 stadium has been released by Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SCDL).
The Qatar Foundation Stadium will hold 40,000 fans and, with its associated Health Wellness Precinct, is due to be completed in 2018. The revelation of its design coincides with the fourth anniversary of the Gulf state’s winning bid.
The stadium will have photovoltaic and thermal panels which will produce energy for electricity and hot water. This will help to power the stadium, swimming pool and indoor pavilion.
The Qatar Foundation stadium will be a “diamond in the desert” whose geometric patterns will appear to change color as the sun arcs across the sky.
“At no two times of the day will the stadium appear the same,” said architect Mark Fenwick in a brief presentation on Tuesday.
Head of the SCDL Shaikha Al Thani said: “Qatar Foundation stadium design will celebrate light by reflecting the intensity of the sun.
“Panels of translucent, illuminated fabric will have the ability to shift colors and patterns during football matches and other events. The design reflects Qatar. It is a country that is dynamic and changing, yet remains rooted in its culture and norms.”
When completed, entering the stadium will be on a “processional route” with spectators making their ways past landscaped gardens, restaurants and cafes.
“Rather than having a stadium surrounded by car parking, we wanted an urban realm,” Fenwick said.
The upper terrace of the stadium will be removed and donated to developing country, reducing the local stadium’s capacity to 25,000.
Five stadiums are currently under construction, with one further design to be released this year. Organizers unveiled stadium design plans for the much-remodeled Khalifa International Stadium in the Aspire Zone just last week. The Khalifa Stadium is expected to be the first tournament stadium to be completed, by 2016.
The Qatar Foundation Stadium will host matches up to the quarter-final stage of the tournament.
