DOHA: Different football stadium designs were discussed at the fifth Annual Facade Design and Engineering Middle East Summit at the Inter-Continental Hotel.
As part of Qatar’s determination to explore new construction techniques, architects, engineers and consultants from around the world gathered to discuss ways of designing eco-friendly buildings in the region. The summit is significant as Qatar is preparing to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Nigel Eckersall, General Manager of Tangram Architects and Designers Qatar and Chairperson of the summit, introduced the two-day event, which began with an overview of different football stadium designs.
“We are in a pivotal time now in Qatar as we have nine years left to deliver our construction plans,” explained Eckersall. “We must be clever and intelligent to provide sustainable buildings for the next generation and think about the legacy we are going to leave for 2022 and beyond.”
Marcos Gutierrez, GCC Region Director of RFA Fenwick Iribarren Architects, explained architectural design of the football arenas in Spain, one of which included the Valencia CF Stadium. He emphasised the importance of designing construction plans in the context of a country’s cultural, social and environmental makeup.
“Valencia has 17 neighbourhoods and we created the facade of the stadium to incorporate each one of them. The symbolism is that you have the whole city of Valencia inside the stadium.”
He also talked about construction plans of the Education City stadium for Qatar 2022, which have been designed to harness power and reduce cooling demands in the region’s harsh desert climate. Its sustainability features will reflect and distort Qatar’s strong light to help keep the arena cool, even during summer months.
Presentations and exhibitions were given by leading international façade experts in the field of lighting design. Tapio Rosenius, Director of Lighting Design Collective, gave a presentation on the role of lighting in sustainable building. He has been a lead lighting consultant for over 100 in the UK, Europe and the Middle East.
The Peninsula
