FIFA 2022 Al Khor Al Bayt Stadium Doha Qatar

FIFA 2022 Al Khor Al Bayt Stadium Doha Qatar

At least 60,000 fans who will walk up to Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor City for the semifinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar will experience a unique acoustic experience that is currently being developed, incorporating the Arab world's culture and traditional hospitality.

The stadium, which is inspired by the Bedouin tent, is taking shape on a 14-metre raised hill to replicate the traditional placement of such tents in the past in order to make them more visible to welcome travellers.

Now that same effect will serve to enhance the acoustics as the stadium is placed in a bowl in the middle of the raised area.

"The way the stadium has been designed is specifically to enhance acoustics and create an outstanding fan experience," said Mohamed Al Amin Abdullah Ahmed, Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy project manager at Al Bayt Stadium.

"Earlier stadiums were more open in design, and this meant that sometimes the atmosphere and the noise of the fans could escape. With designs like this unique tent-inspired stadium, the noise and chants of the fans are held inside in a controlled manner. One focus of our architectural team is specifically on projecting and testing the decibel levels of sound in the stadium so we can design the PA system accordingly," he added.

German architects GMP are working on the stadium design with team members on site and a monthly workshop held to continuously apply the most modern aspects of stadium design and acoustics to the proposed future home of Al Khor Sports Club.

Construction work is now entering the main phase as the first concrete piles have been laid, with the maximum depth of these to reach 21 meters and piling works to be finished by the end of 2016.

The stadium is set for completion by 2018, at which time fans will be treated to the most advanced stadium acoustics on offer after passing through the precinct, which is to be filled with greenery and parks.

Upon entering the stadium, fans will look down onto the pitch in order to get maximum visibility from all seating areas.

"We are working together with our partners from the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy on this stadium in order to create an outstanding fan experience for spectators," said Aspire Zone Foundation Project Director Dr. Nasser Al Hajeri.
After the tournament, the stadium will reduce the capacity by half to 32,000 seats, with the upper tiers donated to countries in need of sporting infrastructure.