{"id":767910,"date":"2024-12-19T09:43:26","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T09:43:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=767910"},"modified":"2024-12-23T09:05:07","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T09:05:07","slug":"afl-working-on-stadium-for-controversial-saudi-arabia-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/afl-working-on-stadium-for-controversial-saudi-arabia-world-cup","title":{"rendered":"AFL working on stadium for controversial Saudi Arabia World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Manchester practice, which also has studios in London and North Wales, said it had been commissioned to design the 47,500-capacity King Abdullah Economic City Stadium in Jeddah, on the Red Sea.<\/p>\n

Last week (11 December) Saudi Arabia was confirmed as host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup<\/a> after its controversial bid went unopposed.<\/p>\n

Arup, Populous and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) are already either confirmed or thought to be involved in preparing stadiums for the huge global football showcase.<\/p>\n

Announcing its own role, AFL said the stadium was inspired by Red Sea coral and envisioned as \u2018a beacon of economic prosperity, environmental sustainability and community integration\u2019.<\/p>\n

Its masterplan includes mixed-use neighbourhoods including retail outlets, sports facilities, a cinema, a cultural hub, hotels and homes.<\/p>\n

The practice added: \u2018Our work involved site analysis and selection, designing an 800,000m\u00b2 masterplan and a new 45,700-capacity stadium concept.<\/p>\n

‘Much like a thriving reef ecosystem, the stadium design embraces organic forms, vibrant colours and sustainable practices.\u2019<\/p>\n

Other features include\u00a0a demountable upper level to cater to a variety of post-tournament events.<\/p>\n

Feature lighting on the lower tier fa\u00e7ade allows the ambiance to be altered to enhance fan experience, while the upper section\u2019s exterior enables projection mapping to cater to different events.<\/p>\n

Sustainability measures include a thermal fa\u00e7ade designed to combat solar gain; design for disassembly, reuse and recycling; low-flow fixtures and greywater recycling. The scheme is aiming for LEED Gold accreditation.<\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia\u2019s controversial World Cup bid involves construction of nine new stadiums and four refurbished stadiums in several cities and NEOM, the flagship smart city of Saudi Arabia\u2019s 2030 development drive.<\/p>\n

Populous has confirmed it is working on at least four stadiums<\/a>, although the AJ understands the firm is involved in several others.<\/p>\n

That includes the planned 92,000-seat King Salman Stadium<\/a> in Riyadh, which will host the final of the 2034 tournament, the King Fahad Stadium,<\/span> the under-construction Dammam Aramaco Stadium, which is due to feature games for the 2027 Asian Cup, and the Qiddiya stadium, which was unveiled in February.<\/p>\n

The concept for Dammam was drawn up by Foster + Partners.<\/p>\n

The proposed New Murabba Stadium, understood to be designed by Arup, is a 46,010-seat arena located north-west of central Riyadh, in a new downtown area. It is expected to host games in the group and round-of-32 stages.<\/p>\n

Arup is also refurbishing<\/a> the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. The 58,432-seater venue is earmarked for quarter-final games.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, another stadium will be located in the initial 2.3 km-long section of The Line within the mammoth NEOM development. The 46,010-capacity stadium will stand 350m above ground and be used for group stage matches and the quarter finals.<\/p>\n

Amnesty International last month questioned<\/a> architects\u2019 involvement in Saudi Arabia, amid reports that 21,000 people had died working on some of the country\u2019s biggest projects.<\/p>\n

The Saudi 2034 bid said holding the tournament would be an \u2018opportunity to showcase the country\u2019s commitment to environmental sustainability\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Manchester practice, which also has studios in London and North Wales, said it had been commissioned to design the 47,500-capacity King Abdullah Economic City Stadium in Jeddah, on the Red Sea. Last week (11 December) Saudi Arabia was confirmed as host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup after its controversial bid went unopposed. Arup, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104183,"featured_media":768871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[681],"tags":[101207,2485,1959,1268,1504,2121],"yoast_head":"\nAFL working on stadium for controversial Saudi Arabia World Cup<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"AFL Architects has revealed its role on one of 15 arenas due to host the FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia in 10 years\u2019 time\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/afl-working-on-stadium-for-controversial-saudi-arabia-world-cup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AFL working on 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