Al Thumama Stadium, one of Qatar's eight venues for the FIFA World Cup 2022, earned a five-star rating from the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) on Thursday, June 2, 2022.
The Gahfiya inspired stadium was built to host last year's Amir Cup final and it received five stars for design and build. It was also awarded with a Class A* certificate for construction management.
Moreover, the sustainability rating underscores Qatar's commitment to hosting a carbon-neutral World Cup, as the Al Bayt and Education City stadiums are also rated five. Also, the Al Janoub Stadium and Khalifa International Stadium have earned GSAS certification with four stars.
The Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) is the first integrated and performance-based system assessing and rating building and infrastructure sustainability impacts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The framework which was developed by the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD).
The green design of the stadium ensures an additional 40% in fresh water savings over a standard stadium. The grass is irrigated using recycled water. There are 50,000m2 of park space located within the precinct, with almost 400 trees and native vegetation covering 84% of the area. Even as it employs modern energy-efficiency strategies, Al Thumama Stadium respects and is committed to the region's cultural and architectural heritage.
According to Eng. Bodour Al Meer, Director of Sustainability at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, the organisers exceeded FIFA's requirements.
“FIFA requires all the stadiums to get one Green Building certification in design and build, but our stadiums are getting three different types of certification — one in design and build, one in construction management and one in operation. FIFA requirement is to get four stars, and Al Thumama Stadium, we’re getting five stars today,” she said.
Architect of the stadium, Brahim Jaida, says the recognition will set a new standard for stadiums around the world to follow, “It’s a great moment to win five stars. Reaching five stars means this stadium has the highest sustainability rank for any stadium construction, not only in Qatar or the region — actually, in the world."
"No stadium has reached the highest score rating. So it’s a great honour for us, and we are proud that all the stadiums built in Qatar are four and five stars. They are all sustainable, and these will be setting the benchmark for any future stadiums built anywhere around the world,” he added.
The stadiums for Qatar 2022 have distinctive identities, resembling Middle Eastern and Far Eastern cultures. “This stadium, I think, doesn’t only represent our culture, but the wider culture of the Middle and the Far East. That’s why we always say the World Cup in Qatar represents not only us but our wider region of Asia.”
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Sources: The Peninsula; Gulf Times
Cover image credit: QNA
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