Qatar to finish work on first World Cup venue by 2016

Date

9/2/2015 1:53:23 AM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula)Khalifa International Stadium Design

DOHA: Qatar will complete work on the first venue for Football World Cup matches by 2016 six years before the event takes place officials announced on Tuesday.

The 40000-seater Khalifa International Stadium is scheduled to host group stage round of 16 and quarter-final matches during the 2022 World Cup.

It is also the venue for the 2019 World Athletics Championships the first time that the games will be held in the Middle East.

"We are very happy with the rapid progress of renovation works at the site" said project manager Mansoor Saleh Al Muhannadi.

"We expect the stadium to be handed over by the main contractor at the end of 2016."

The Khalifa stadium located in the west of Doha was originally built in 1976 as a 20000-seater stadium but is undergoing major renovation for 2022.

Deconstruction activities including the complete removal of the East stand lighting arch and the partial deconstruction of the West stand lighting arch.

World Cup organisers on Tuesday said some 3330 construction workers have worked over three million man-hours at Khalifa "without a recordable accident".

Officials said the stadium once completed will include cooling technology on "the field of play all seats and concourses".

Khalifa is one of up to 12 stadiums which will be used during the World Cup in 2022.

The arc and undulating roof of Khalifa International Stadium are visible from afar providing a prominent introduction to the Aspire Zone. The large arch on the Eastern side which was used as a platform for the launch of fireworks during the 2006 Doha Asian Games opening ceremony has already been removed and is currently being replaced by two arches which are further visible signs of progress on the site.

The skeleton of the new stadium is on track for completion by the end of the year. Meanwhile a new tent which will cover approximately 70 percent of the stadium was fabricated in the USA and is currently being assembled in Mexico. It will soon be shipped to Doha to be fixed using cabling made in Germany. So far around 42000 cubic metres of structural concrete have been poured.

Ghanim Al Kuwari SC Competition Venues Executive Director said: “With this renovation the stadium will not only be refurbished but also enhanced with new features maintaining its position as a global sports centre and also improving its role as a focal point for the local community.”

The venue will house the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum. Food courts shops multi-purpose rooms VIP lounges and a health centre will also be available on the upper and lower concourses to be built in the East wing. In addition to this a new road network along with two new metro stations in the surrounding area will connect the stadium to public transport.

A joint venture between Midmac Contracting and a subsidiary of the Belgian Besix Group Six Construct is overseeing the main contractor works on the stadium. Dar Al Handasah and Projacs are the Design and Project Manager Consultants respectively.

Agencies

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