Qatar 2022: Al Bayt Stadium gets five-star sustainability rating
Al Bayt Stadium, which is to host the opening game of the 2022 World Cup, has been awarded a five-star Global Sustainability Assessment System certificate.
Al Bayt Stadium, which is to hold the opening game of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has become the second tournament arena to be issued with a five-star Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) certificate.
Second Qatar 2022 stadium to be given five-star GSAS rating
It follows Education City Stadium, which was opened in June 2020 and was certified last January, in receiving the maximum rating. Al Janoub Stadium has also been granted a GSAS certificate, but was awarded four stars.
The Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD) issued Al Bayt Stadium with a GSAS certificate after it met all sustainability criteria in terms of design, construction and energy-centre efficiency.
Al Bayt, the second-largest of the eight World Cup stadiums, is located in the city of Al Khor, north of Doha, and has a capacity of 60,000 seats.
Its design is inspired by the tents used by nomadic peoples in Qatar and the Gulf region, and boasts many features in the area of sustainability, such as a light-coloured exterior that helps to reduce heat and enhance the efficiency of the arena’s cooling system, and a retractable roof that allows sunlight in to aid the growth of the turf.
As part of Al Bayt’s post-World Cup legacy, the stadium’s upper tier will be dismantled after the tournament and will be used for the construction of sports facilities in Qatar and abroad.
Al Bayt director: "We are proud to have received this five-star rating"
Dr Nasser Al Hajri, Al Bayt Stadium’s executive director, said: "We are proud to have received this five-star rating from the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development, and we view it as a recognition of the work we have done on this major project."
Al Bayt was completed some months ago, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino visiting it last year and playing a friendly match at the venue with officials of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy and former footballers.
No date has yet been set for what would be the fifth official opening of a 2022 World Cup arena, following on from Khalifa International Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium, Education City Stadium and Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.