The secrets behind the design for Education City stadium revealed
The latest Qatar World Cup 2022 stadium was unveiled last week in Doha with the opening of Education City being the third completed stadium ahead of the tournament.
Last week, the Qatari SC (Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy) confirmed the inauguration of the Education City stadium with the ground the third stadium opened ahead of the the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This stadium is a venue different in form and design to the already inaugurated Al-Khalifa International and Al-Janoub stadiums and was the work of a Spanish based company who are also responsible for the design of two other World Cup stadiums, Al-Thumama and Ras Abu Aboud.
Mark Fenwick, founder of the company Fenwick Iribarren Architects, revealed behind-the-scenes secrets of how the stadium had been conceived from the original design to placing spectator seats close to the stadium floor guaranteed to help fans in creating a great atmosphere at every 2022 World Cup game staged at the venue.
Full screen
Mark FenwickQatar 2022
Qatar selected
'We were involved in a contest to be selected to design a number of stadiums and sports facilities for Qatar, and this was before the Gulf nation submitted its candidacy to get and was selected as the host nation for the 2022 World Cup. We became involved in a series negotiations with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy who are responsible for managing 2022 World Cup.
Fenwick added: "After Qatar ware a candidate to host the 2022 competition, things developed quickly and we focused on designing a soccer stadium. We contributed a series of designs in the official presentations to FIFA and were delighted when Qatar was awarded the rights to organize the event ”. He added: "We feel a sense of pride in having had a role, however small, in achieving this dazzling success. I am delighted that Qatar are striving to deliver the best World Cup of all time. Having the stadiums in close proximity will also afford the opportunity for fans to attend more than one match in one day and this is a unique singularity that makes the event as if it were an edition of the Olympics", added Fenwick.
Education City Stadium is the first #Qatar2022 venue to receive a 5* sustainability rating from @GORDMENA.
The architect stressed: "We aimed to make some distinctive designs that feature in the Education City stadium and a man feature of this is the cooling system, which was one of the most outstanding challenges to overcome." Fenwick concluded: "When embarking upon a design, one starts with a blank sheet and you start designing something different and unique, when your thoughts speed up, sometimes slow down and without a doubt the beginnings are interesting and fun at the same time."
Full screen
Education City draft
He added: "The design process is very interesting in itself and implies immense challenges that once overcome offer a great deal of satisfaction. I am now looking forward to seeing the first match at the stadium since it was just a design on paper at one point not so long ago. In addition to putting together designs for three 2022 World Cup venues, seeing games taking place at these grounds will certainly be the culmination of my professional career”.
