The World Cup’s first temporary stadium will quickly be dismantled after internet hosting seven matches in two weeks at Qatar 2022.
Stadium 974 – named after Qatar’s worldwide dialling code and the variety of transport containers utilized in its building – was considered one of seven grounds constructed for the event, whereas an eighth was extensively redeveloped.
The complete metal construction of Stadium 974 may be repurposed for an additional World Cup or main sporting occasion as both a venue of the similar measurement or a number of smaller services.
Qatar called the stadium its “beacon of sustainability” as a part of its pledge to ship the first carbon impartial World Cup.
As nicely as seven new stadiums, Qatar has a brand new airport, metro system, roads and about 100 new resorts – however has confronted intense scrutiny and criticism over the method it has handled the tens of 1000’s of migrant employees used to construct the infrastructure.
So how sustainable is the Stadium 974 undertaking? And the place and when will the stadium be reused?
A glimpse of the future?
The 44,089-capacity Stadium 974 – on Doha’s waterfront – encompasses a modular metal body and multicoloured transport containers, which may be seen from outdoors the stadium and home bogs and foods and drinks stalls.
It was the solely stadium constructed for the World Cup with out air-con, so hosted solely night matches, culminating in Brazil’s last-16 victory over South Korea on 5 December.
The use of transport containers and recycled metal helped scale back waste generated and building time in contrast to the different new venues.
Qatar and designers Fenwick Iribarren Architects stated they aimed to keep away from constructing a “white elephant” – a venue unused or not often used after a event, as has confirmed the case following the three earlier World Cups in Russia, Brazil and South Africa.
Environmental watchdog group Carbon Market Watch stated if reusing current dismountable buildings might be broadly replicated, it might make bidding for main sporting occasions “extra accessible to creating international locations” as a result of prices can be shared between a number of international locations internet hosting completely different editions.
A report into Stadium 974 commissioned by Fifa and delivered by emission discount consultants additionally pointed to that profit, and added it might enable stadiums to be constructed in additional central and “simply accessible” places, lowering “intra-city fan journey” throughout tournaments.
Organisers have additionally stated they’ll donate 170,000 seats from different stadiums to creating international locations to strive to make them extra sustainable and keep away from them changing into underused in future. However, Carbon Market Watch stated “no concrete plans might be discovered” for the distribution of seats.
The declare the Qatar World Cup will probably be carbon impartial has additionally been described as “harmful and deceptive” by environmentalists, who say the tournament could have a carbon footprint three times higher than stated.
The significance of reuse
Fifa’s report in contrast the emissions produced by the constructing of Stadium 974 to the common emissions of the 4 everlasting stadiums which have an identical capability of 40,000-45,000.
It discovered the temporary stadium “initially emits extra carbon emissions due to the use of carbon-intensive supplies resembling steel and metal” – as opposed to primarily concrete in everlasting stadiums – which permits it to be dismantled and reassembled a number of instances.
So, because it stands, Stadium 974 has the next carbon footprint than the comparable everlasting stadiums constructed for Qatar 2022.
For the temporary stadium to have a decrease whole footprint than a number of everlasting stadiums, Carbon Market Watch stated it “relies on what number of instances, and the way far, the stadium is transported and reassembled”.
Fifa’s examine assessed three completely different eventualities for the way forward for Stadium 974, during which it’s reused as soon as, twice or thrice in a collection of differing places.
It discovered if the temporary stadium is reused solely as soon as, it have to be relocated “inside a complete sea and street journey distance of seven,033km” to be extra “environmentally advantageous” than constructing two everlasting stadiums. It additionally highlighted the environmental advantages of the stadium being repurposed inside the area, or particularly in Qatar.
That most journey determine rises to 40,118 km general for 2 reuses and 72,616km for 3.
All three eventualities have been additionally modelled on the temporary stadium spending 4 years in the first location and in every subsequent location, earlier than working the the rest of a 60-year lifespan at its ultimate vacation spot.
Where is the stadium going?
No resolution seems to have been made on the future makes use of or places of Stadium 974.
Carbon Market Watch stated whereas organisers have “highlighted the dismountable nature of the temporary stadium, we might establish no particular plans exhibiting the place the stadium will probably be moved, if in any respect”.
There are reports that Stadium 974 could be sent to Uruguay, which is ready to be a part of a joint bid with Argentina, Chile and Paraguay for the 2030 World Cup.
Uruguay is roughly 13,000km from Doha, so if the temporary stadium is moved there, it might have to be reused once more in a 3rd location so as to be extra environmentally advantageous than constructing separate new stadiums in every place.
When requested about future plans for Stadium 974 and any doable places, the organising committee stated: “Qatar is on monitor to ship the first carbon impartial Fifa World Cup.
“That means all infrastructure tasks – together with the eight stadiums – should meet stringent sustainability benchmarks.
“During their building, we now have recycled and reused wherever doable and applied an enormous vary of power and water effectivity options. In addition, supplies from sustainable sources have been used and modern legacy plans have been applied to guarantee the event does not depart any ‘white elephants’.”
