Education City Stadium...Jewel of the Desert

The Education City Stadium is labelled the Jewel of the Desert.It is one of the stadiums that will host the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.It will be one of the most prominent environmentally sustainable stadiums in the world, in addition to its design that is inspired by Islamic architecture.The stadium, located 12km from the heart of the Qatari capital Doha, will accommodate 40,000 spectators and will be located in the western part of the Education City’s southern campus.The venue will be a symbol of innovation, sustainability and progress for decades to come.The Supreme Committee’s Project Manager of the stadium Eid al-Qahtani said that the design of the stadium, with the flood lights on, will make it sparkle at night, as if a jewel in the desert, hence the nickname.Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), he said that the stadium’s most important characteristic is its location at the heart of Education City.He added that it will overlook key main roads, starting with the southern Khalifa area to the coastal city of Dukhan.Education City Stadium has a design that draws on the rich history of Islamic architecture, blending it with striking modernity.The facade features triangles that form complex, diamond-esque geometrical patterns, appearing to change colour with the sun’s movement.Like diamonds, the stadium’s design represents quality, durability and resilience, and will become something to be treasured both for the memories it holds and its future value to the country and region.The project manager said the stadium will set an example for the use of intelligent building systems that conserves the energy of things such as automatic lighting and air conditioning units.The environmentally-friendly construction practices will also reduce the carbon footprint of the stadium, not just during the construction stage, but after its completion as well.Al-Qahtani said that the design of the stadium was done using the best practices adopted globally, which will result in high levels of water and energy efficiency.At least 20% of the materials used in building the stadium were from sustainable sources, in addition to purchasing 55% of the building materials from local sources.The project was awarded the five-star Global Sustainability Assessment System programme (GSAS), thanks to the strategy employed in its design and construction.It is the first stadium in the world to earn that recognition.Al-Qahtani said that construction work is progressing rapidly in order to meet the set deadline, noting that work on the iron structure, which includes the roof and the facades and the base was more than 70% complete, in addition to completing all the concrete structure work over the past two months.He noted the great progress made in terms of the two phases of electromechanical work.Work in the first phase is close to completion, while the second phase is more than 80% complete.He noted the great acceleration in the pace of work in all stages as the project is set for completion in the coming period.The project manager revealed that the finishing work for the roof was 75% complete, the floors were more than 80% finished, as well as thermal insulation which is also more than 80% complete.The installation of the plastic seats will be done in the final phase along with laying the grass.He also said that they have secured the supply of seats, in preparation for installing them at the right moment.He noted that work has already begun on the two roof covers, the first is circular for the pitch, the second is an indoor roof.He added that he expects work on the roof to be completed in the coming month, especially in light of the accelerating pace of work and the determination to complete all tasks on schedule.The project manager also said that he expects the final phase of work to be easier than the previous one.He noted that work on the final finishing phase, in addition to the operational phase will take place in the next six months.He said that, after that, the project will be ready to host any event.He stressed that the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy in all the projects of the Qatar 2022 World Cup remained committed to workers’ rights, safety, and security in accordance to the highest international standards.He added that this was evident in the committee’s rules that oblige contractors to provide housing for workers that is not further than five kilometres away from the stadium.Al-Qahtani stressed that the Supreme Committee chose very carefully all the locations of the World Cup, with each one telling its own story.He added that this helps with the legacy of the World Cup in Qatar.The project manager said that the arrival of World Cup spectators to the Stadium of Education City will be easy, whether through the Doha Metro in the presence of more than one station in the city of education, as well as the stadium stands beside the Dukhan highway.He pointed out that there were also four parking lots that have a combined space for 16,000 cars, that’s in addition to the stadium’s parking, which fits 4,000 cars.Al-Qahtani said that fans will be able to reach the educational city stadium from the east side, but will not be allowed to access to the stadium by car, instead a train will take them to the gates.He added that the parking spaces will be allocated for organisers and officials of FIFA, as well as media and senior guests in accordance to the requirements of FIFA.He added that the presence of the stadium near both Al Rayyan Stadium and Khalifa International Stadiums confirms the compact nature of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup.The stadium is only 4.5km away from the Khalifa International Stadium and six from Al Rayyan Stadium.This will allow the public to move between the three stadiums and give them the opportunity to see three Matches in a day, something that has not been achieved in any previous World Cup.Al-Qahtani said that he believes that donating about 20,000 seats from the stadium, following the conclusion of the World Cup, to help build stadiums in developing countries in co-operation with FIFA will give the fans a great feeling.