The engineering legacy of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM: Al Thumama Stadium

Abstract

The structures of the Al Thumama Stadium, built for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, can be categorised into four main building components. The permanent bowl structure with lower and middle tiers is mainly cast-in-place reinforced concrete with precast seating units. Structural steel was used for the upper tier stands, to be dismantled for legacy conversion after the tournament. The roof and façade system use steel and cable systems with a unique membrane cladding design derived from the cultural gahfiya symbol. The roof is a self-anchored tension–compression ring system based on the principle of a horizontal spoked wheel, with one compression ring along the outer perimeter and two tension rings along the oculus. The façade consists of lightweight double-layered and prestressed cable nets spanning between curved vertical beams. A translucent polytetrafluoroethylene-coated glass fibre membrane with highly transparent mesh inserts form the cladding of the stadium, providing its unique architectural design. This article gives an overview of the stadium's design and construction methodology.