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Qatar’s Education City Stadium achieves sustainability milestone

Education City Stadium, one of the venues scheduled to stage matches during Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has been recognised for its sustainability efforts with what is said to be a world-first certification from the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS).

Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) said the under-construction venue, which has a planned capacity of 45,000, has become the first stadium in the world to receive a provisional five-star design and build certification.

The Doha-based stadium is scheduled to serve as one of the quarter-final venues during the 2022 World Cup. Its sustainability features include direct access to public transport, low-toxicity indoor materials and LED sports lighting that has lower energy consumption rates.

The stadium is also wrapped in thermally-efficient and reflective fabric, which the SC said will protect the building from direct sunlight. Other features include water-efficient fixtures and fittings, while the stadium also uses recycled water for irrigation and is designed to allow for the disassembly of its upper tier, including 20,000 seats.

The five-star rating awarded to it by GSAS confirms that the venue fulfils its sustainability requirements, with the final certificate to be awarded once the stadium has been fully built and it has undergone five third-party audits.

Eng. Jassim Telefat, the SC’s competition venues executive director, said: “We originally targeted a four-star rating but were able to exceed our target without increasing the capital expenditure by using smart engineering, collaboration across all disciplines, and fully utilising the team’s collective knowledge of green building principles and the GSAS system.

“We are immensely proud to receive the provisional five-star rating – this major achievement demonstrates that we are delivering on our commitment to sustainability and green building.”

Education City Stadium becomes the fifth proposed Qatar 2022 venue to receive a provisional GSAS design and build certification, joining Khalifa International Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Rayyan Stadium and Al Wakrah Stadium. Khalifa International Stadium received a confirmed four-star GSAS rating once it opened.

GSAS seeks to create a sustainable building environment, considering the specific needs and context of the Gulf region. It is administered in Qatar by the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development.

Image: Supreme Committee