Foster + Partners has been awarded the task of designing the main stadium for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The 80,000-seat Lusail Stadium near Doha will house the opening and closing ceremonies for the event, and its forward-thinking design aims to take stadium design to the next level. Instead of creating a free-standing object à la the Bird’s Nest or University of Phoenix Stadium, Foster’s Lusail will anticipate the future urban grid, integrating the building into the future city.
Original 2010 proposal. Image courtesy Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.
Foster designed a stadium for the winning 2010 Qatari bid, alongside several others. These original stadiums are in various stages of design, but many of the early designs have been updated, including Zaha’s infamous Al-Wakrah, which was criticized for its erotic shape, as well as for comments the Iraqi-born architect made about the role of architects in the ethics of the construction process. The Gulf has a history of questionable labor practices, and while Foster’s new design has not even been released yet, he has already received warnings from human rights groups. Labor controversies come on the heels of accusations about Qatar’s bid for the World Cup, and the possibility of corruption.
So, with all of this controversy, it becomes easy to forget that the Qatar 2022 World Cup may be the occasion for some of the most exciting stadium designs ever. Here is an attempt to make sense of it, although conflicting and ever-changing information leads us to believe that some of this will never happen.
Original 2010 Proposals by Albert Speer, Jr.
The original Qatari bid in 2010 included the designs for a series of stadiums, mostly in and around Doha, including five by Albert Speer, Jr. This is unusual for the World Cup, as normally the games are spread around many cities within a country. The Doha stadiums took the shapes of shells and boats, but these were just proposals. Each stadium has been updated, and they are being released slowly. It can be hard to discern what is real and what is just a rendering that has ben tossed or updated, but there are four designs that are official, and one of them is under construction. Here is a rundown of the stadiums for Qatar 2022, where up to 12 stadiums are expected to be built in time for the events.
Al-Rayyan renovation. Image via stadiumdb.com
One stadium, Al-Rayyan, is being renovated for the games. It will be wrapped with a huge media façade that will broadcast the latest news, updates, matches, and other tournament information. The only new design that is now under construction is Zaha Hadid Architects’ Al-Wakrah, which some compared to a hoo-hah. That is sort of beside the point, as the 40,000-seat stadium will have a climate-controlled pitch and will be constructed to the most contemporary standards, both in design and in sustainability. After the games, the upper 20,000 seats will be distributed to developing countries that need sports infrastructure.
Al-Wakrah Stadium by Zaha Hadid Architects.
The Al-Bayt Stadium is a black square tent structure that resembles the traditional bedouin tent. The venue will hold 60,000 people and is expected to host matches up to the semi-finals. Like Al-Wakrah, it will be disassembled and sent to countries that are in need.
Al-Bayt Stadium by Dar Al Handasa.
The Khalifa International Stadium was built in 1976, and renovated in 2005 for the 2006 Asian Games. Its capacity is 40,000, though plans are in the works to expand this to over 65,000 for the 2022 World Cup.
Khalifa International Stadium.
Qatar Foundation Stadium, also known as Education City Stadium, will be located in Education City, the home of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. The design is based on traditional Islamic architecture, with geometric fabric panels that change colors and patterns.
Qatar Foundation Stadium. Image via Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.
The designs remain fluid, as more are set to be announced soon. As of right now, only the Al-Wakrah Stadium is under construction. There has been speculation that the number of stadiums will be reduced to eight or nine from the original planned 12, due to growing costs and/or reduced budgets. There are also concerns about the cooling of the stadiums, as seen below.
Stadium Cooling Technology.
It seems that there is a possibility that many of the ambitious projects will not be built, and that the 2022 World Cup will look very different than all of these renderings. One thing is for sure: there will be plenty of architecture drama in Qatar between now and 2022. It might be the perfect blend of 2014 Sochi’s half-baked buildings and 2014 Brazil’s ethical quandaries.
Header image: Sports City Stadium original proposal, 2010 by Populus.