World Cup stadium wins design award Monday, 23 May 2016

Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy has been awarded the Stadium Design of the Year award for the Al Rayyan Stadium at last week's 2016 World Stadium Congress in Doha.

The Al Rayyan Stadium is one of the proposed venues for the FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar in 2022. Built on the site of the former Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, it will have a capacity of 40,000 for the World Cup but will be reduced to approximately 21,000 afterwards. The stadium’s modular upper tier will be donated to nations in need of sporting infrastructure.

The facade of Al Rayyan Stadium is formed from seven patterns, based on highly abstracted shapes, echoing decorative motifs found in Islamic architecture. The patterns represent the importance of family in Qatari culture, the austere beauty of the desert and the flora and fauna that thrive there, and the local and international trade which has been a mainstay of Qatar’s economy for centuries.

Stadium Project Manager Abdulla Al Fehani said the award was a confirmation of their commitment to excellence in creating innovative designs which incorporate the culture, heritage and needs of the local community.

“The stadium construction is making good progress and we will continue to ensure that the Al Rayyan community is incorporated in all stages of the construction and legacy planning of this stadium, as they have been from the very beginning of this exciting project," said Al Fehani.

“We are creating not just a sports stadium for one of Qatar’s best supported sides, but also a community hub which will be used on a daily basis by families in this area. We believe that this innovative approach is also encapsulated in the design of this stadium.”

The design of the stadium was undertaken by Danish engineering group Ramboll while the construction of the project is being managed by AECOM.

 

An artist's impression of the new Al Rayyan Stadium. Image: Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy