Qatar unveiled the design for its fifth World Cup stadium, "a 40,000-seater ground built in 'the gateway to the desert' and featuring air conditioning for the comfort of players and fans," according to Oliver Todd of the London DAILY MAIL. The Al Rayyan Stadium "is inspired by sand dunes" and its design has been produced by U.K.-based architecture firms Ramboll and Pattern. Fans in the stands "will sit in a comfortable 24-28 degrees Celsius, while paths and walkways leading to the stadium will also be cooled." Al Rayyan "will hold matches up to the quarter-final stage of the 2022 tournament and after the World Cup its capacity will be almost halved to 21,000 seats, with the removable upper tier sent to developing nations" (DAILY MAIL, 4/23). ACHITECTS JOURNAL's Laura Mark wrote the stadium "will be built on the site of the former Al Rayyan Sports Club stadium which was recently demolished." The materials "reclaimed from the previous stadium’s demolition will be used in the construction of the new Al Rayyan venue." Its facade "will feature patterns and designs, which draw on the history of Al Rayyan and Qatari culture" (ARCHITECTS JOURNAL, 4/23). GULF TIMES' Joey Aguilar wrote sustainability "is at the heart of the design." The Supreme Committee disclosed that local and int'l artists "will use some of the materials to create public artworks which reflect the history of Al Rayyan Sports Club." The stadium's design "will also actively reduce its carbon footprint and precinct through on-site renewable energy, lightweight building design, careful selection of materials, and both energy and water efficiency measures." The stadium "is designed with the goal of certification under both the Global Sustainability Assessment System and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ratings" (GULF TIMES, 4/23).
