Rather unusual, I must say: Imagine a football stadium in Qatar will no longer be there after the FIFA World Cup concludes.
It’s reported that Fenwick Iribarren Architects, who designed Stadium 974, said the idea behind the construction was to avoid the stadium turning into a “white elephant,” a structure which is left unused or underused after the tournament ends.
The Round of 16 clash between South Korea and Brazil which ended 4-1 in favour of the South Americans, will be the last match to be played in the stadium. According to Qatar, Stadium 974 in Doha, one of seven new stadiums built, with a seating capacity of 40,000, will be dismantled soon after the final whistle.
DISMANTLE STADIUM
As per a report from the Associated Press, organisers have said that it is quite easy to dismantle the port-side structure and even send it to countries in need. The stadium could also be rebuilt as a venue of the same size elsewhere, or into multiple smaller stadiums.
For the record, the stadium that is partially built from recycled materials, including steel and shipping containers, is named after the number of containers used in its construction. 974 is also Qatar’s dialling code.
The sustainable stadium is made with multicoloured containers used as building blocks and is the only stadium that isn’t air-conditioned. Stadium 974 has been conducting only evening matches.
SUSTAINABLE BUILDING
The main principles of sustainable building is a design for dissemble, Karim Elgendy, an associate fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank, was quoted by Associated Press.
The stadium designers made it clear that the idea behind the construction was to avoid the stadium from turning into a “white elephant,” a structure which is left unused or underused after the tournament ends.
Smart thinking, you may say, but whatever Stadium 974 in Doha will be, it is a very rare example of a new stadium being brought down.
It is learnt that the stadium will begin its farewell journey after it is completely dismantled and sent to a friendly country, which has not been named.
Suresh Nair is an award-winning sports journalist who is also a qualified international coach and international referee instructor