The Qatar Stadium 974, is inspired by Qatar’s worldwide trade and seafaring. The number 974 is the international dialling code for Qatar and the exact number of shipping containers used in construction of the stadium.

This grand and innovative 40 000-seat venue with its remarkable design will be the first fully demountable tournament venue in FIFA World Cup history. It has been designed by Spanish Studio Fenwick Iribarren Architects, structural engineers Schlaich Bergermann Partner and engineering consultancy Hilson Moran, ahead of the World Cup that is scheduled to take place in Qatar from 21 November to 18 December 2022.

The legacy

Formerly known as Ras Abu Aboud, the sports venue is the first stadium designed to be fully demountable in FIFA World Cup history. Locatedon the shores of the Gulf, across the water from Doha’s West Bay skyline, this spectacular venue for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ matches sets a new standard in sustainability and introduces bold new ideas in tournament legacy planning. After the tournament, the stadium will make way for a waterfront development for local people to enjoy.

Not only does the stadium provide invaluable infrastructure to sporting projects in the region, but Stadium 974 also gives global stadium developers and tournament planners an example they can follow.

Benefits of modularity

The venue’s temporary nature and clever, colourful and modular steel structure mean that fewer building materials were required than in traditional stadium buildings, which helped to keep construction costs down and introduced water-efficiency methods to reduce water usage by 40%. The shape of the stadium and gaps between the seats facilitate natural ventilation so that no artificial cooling is required.

Parts of the venue will be utilised afterwards for years and decades to come, as other projects will be using the seats, roof and other components of the arena. The ability to have minimised construction costs and ensure regular feature use were the key ingredients in making this stadium sustainable. Stadium 974 has created an innovative blueprint that the Supreme Committee (SC) for the FIFA World Cup hopes will be followed in the future for more sustainable designs for future large-scale events.

Stadium 974 is positioned close to the sea and will be the first stadium that football fans will see upon arriving in Qatar, due to its proximity to Hamad International Airport. The stadium will host its first match on 30 December.

Click here to watch a video of the stadium: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAu-_SFDJC0

Full acknowledgement and thanks go to https://www.qatar2022.qa/en/stadiums/stadium-974 and https://www.dezeen.com/2021/11/24/stadium-974-fenwick-iribarren-architects-qatar-world-cup/# for the information in this editorial.

For more international projects like these, subscribe to our free magazine on http://tiny.cc/fwsubs

Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.buildinganddecor.co.za/ or join other discussions on http://www.facebook.com/buildinganddecor, http://www.twitter.com/buildingdecor and https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/10172797/