On Tuesday evening, at the gala dinner and award ceremony of the 2016 World Stadium Congress in Doha which concludes today, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) was awarded the ‘Stadium Design of the Year’ award for Al Rayyan Stadium.
Abdulla al-Fehani, Al Rayyan Stadium Project Manager at the SC, received the award announced by a judging panel that included Stadia Magazine Editor Matt Ross and Tim Brouw, Stadium and Tournament Consultant.
“It is an honour to receive this award on behalf of the Supreme Committee and a reconfirmation of our commitment to excellence in creating innovative designs which incorporate the culture, heritage and needs of the local community,” said al-Fehani after the award ceremony.
“The stadium construction is making good progress and we will continue to ensure that the Al Rayyan community is incorporated in all stages of the construction and legacy planning of this stadium, as they have been from the very beginning of this exciting project.
“We are creating not just a sports stadium for one of Qatar’s best supported sides, but also a community hub which will be used on a daily basis by families in this area. We believe that this innovative approach is also encapsulated in the design of this stadium,” he added.
Al Rayyan is the fifth proposed host venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar and is being built on the site of Al Rayyan Sports Club’s former stadium (Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium), which was recently deconstructed. The SC unveiled the design of Al Rayyan Stadium at a special ceremony held at Ali bin Abdullah Fort in Al Rayyan in 2015.
Al Rayyan’s sporting heritage and Qatar’s environment is reflected in the design of the stadium. The stadium’s facade will feature a multitude of local patterns and designs, which draw on Qatari culture. Featuring an innovative exterior design, it also aims to create a sense of place unique to Al Rayyan in particular, and more generally to the culture of Qatar and the Middle East. Most of the hospitality and service areas will be located outside the stadium in dune-like structures, which resemble the sand dunes that surround traditional desert tents.
Sustainability is at the heart of the design, beginning with the deconstruction of the old stadium, with 90% of the materials resulting from the deconstruction being reused. Some of the materials will be used by local and international artists to create works of public art which reflect the history of Al Rayyan Sports Club.
The state-of-art design will actively reduce the carbon footprint of the stadium and precinct through on-site renewable energy, lightweight building design, careful selection of materials, and both energy and water efficiency measures. The stadium is designed with the goal of certification under both the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings.
Speaking at the launch of the stadium design, Hassan al-Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, said: “As one of the most successful and widely-supported clubs in Qatar, Al Rayyan has always played an important part in our hosting plans. We are very confident that this impressively designed stadium and precinct will become a landmark for the Al Rayyan area and benefit the entire community,” al-Thawadi said.
Sheikh Saud bin Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani, Chairman of Al Rayyan Sports Club, said: “We are proud and delighted to be part of delivering one of the proposed host venues for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, since Al Rayyan Sports Club has played a major role in the history of football in Qatar. The new stadium is befitting of the status and popularity of our club, and will greatly benefit the club and residents of Al Rayyan.”
Moza al-Thani, a student at Qatar University, said of the design: “As an Al Rayyan club fan, I’m very excited about seeing the new design. I love that the design is being launched in Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Fort, which is an iconic place in Al Rayyan City.”
The design tells the story of a nation through the ‘Naqsh’ (carved panels) façade, which incorporates seven patterns that all equally represent Qatari heritage and culture. Naqsh builds on the Qatari pattern tradition of evolution and transition, reinterpreting it in a modern context and on a new scale by linking the story of Qatar’s rich heritage to its present and its future.
The seven patterns of the design represented are—shield, desert rose, chain, nut heart, banana spiral, palm tree and bridal ring patterns. One of the six includes the bridal ring, a pattern referencing the heart of the stadium which unifies family and society. The pattern is also inspired by the Islamic and cultural concept of women at the core of the family and their important role in society.
“We are talking about the most supported local football club in Doha. It used to be that it wasn’t encouraged for women to attend football games, but I’ve been to five or more games now and I feel I actually got more women to support the club by attending games, which is an amazing feeling,” added Moza al-Thani.
The shield pattern, which predominantly weaves in the other six patterns, represents loyalty, unity and perseverance. The patterns unify to form one grand pattern for Al Rayyan, defining the past and future. The third and fourth patterns in the new design play on nature; the desert rose, a unique symbol of the natural ornaments in the desert, and the palm tree.
Hessa al-Mannai said: “I was brought up in a family of Al Rayyan Club supporters, and it was a tradition for us to watch the games together. The new stadium shows the amount of progress that’s being made for sports and development as we prepare for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.”
The development of Qatar as part of the Qatar National Vision 2030, and as the country moves forward with plans for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, are also highlighted in the fifth and sixth patterns. The chain and the banana spiral elements are inspiration from the local and international trade which has been a mainstay of Qatar’s economy for centuries. Finally, the seventh pattern is the nut heart, a well-known trademark of the souq and one that symbolises healthy living in the form of the stadium facilities.
Resembling sand dunes, the Al Rayyan stadium structure will become a landmark of Qatari tradition and heritage, merged with the desert ambiance, merging an image of the past with the promise of the future.
During tournament mode, the stadium will have a capacity of 40,000 spectators to be able to host group stage, round-of-16 and quarter-finals matches. After the tournament, the stadium’s capacity will be reduced to 21,000 in legacy mode with the upper tier of seats being removed and sent to developing nations in need of sports infrastructure.
The stadium will also feature the innovative and sustainable cooling technology being delivered by the SC and its stakeholders. This will ensure comfortable viewing conditions for fans and an optimal playing temperature for players during the legacy use of the stadium for domestic competitions, international matches and tournaments hosted in Qatar throughout the year.
The stadium and surrounding precinct will contain a number of facilities and features that will be used by the local population of Al Rayyan, including a mosque, members’ club, athletics track, cricket pitch, tennis courts, hockey pitch, football training pitches, aquatics centre, skate park and cycling track. The precinct will also house a new branch of Aspetar – the leading sports medicine hospital.
As Qatar unveiled the new stadium design for Al Rayyan Sports Club’s future home last week, the coach and players of the illustrious club expressed their delight at the modern, functional facilities which their club will be using once the stadium is completed.
Talking to www.sc.qa, Al Rayyan’s Spanish coach Manuel Jimenez confirmed that Al Rayyan Sports Club was already feeling the positive effects of receiving confirmation of their future home.
“This is an important moment for the club. We’ll be aiming high in the first division next season, and this new stadium is more modern, more functional and will have fantastic features,” said the former Spanish international, who took part in the 1990 FIFA World Cup Italy as a player. “It will motivate the club and the fans to do even better. Now as we start our campaign in the Emir Cup, we want to go all the way and reach the final and win it.”
The sense of optimism surrounding the most widely supported club in Qatar was confirmed by former Al Rayyan midfielder Ronald de Boer.
“It looks very impressive, and I would like to be a player again in this new stadium. It will be a beautiful area in Qatar, also with the developments planned around the stadium. I believe the new stadium will also help to bring more fans to the matches,” said the Dutch midfielder who played for Al Rayyan after a glittering career with the likes of Ajax Amsterdam, FC Barcelona, and Glasgow Rangers.
“I remember playing in the old stadium with my brother and Sonny Anderson, playing against the likes of Guardiola and Batistuta. They are great memories, and now the new design looks amazing,” de Boer added.
All sports teams at the club are set to benefit from the new facilities, as Al Rayyan Sports Club basketball player Yassin Ismail said: “I am honored to be part of this project and we are all proud of the fantastic new stadium, which will include facilities for all Al Rayyan sports teams, not only the football team. I am sure that the next generations will benefit greatly from this modern stadium and its many facilities.”
Following the deconstruction of the stadium, the SC launched its Recycled Art Programme in April 2015. This initiative is part of the SC’s local engagement programme, Jeeran, which sees the deconstruction of Al Rayyan Stadium as an opportunity to reflect on the history of Al Rayyan Sports Club through works of art, as well as by building the artistic capacity of the local community.
In order to convey the history and future of Al Rayyan Sports Club, a number of panels will display photos that tell the story of Al Rayyan, from the 1960s through to the present day, while also exhibiting images looking to the future of the club through the works of Qatari artist Faraj Deham and Saudi artist Sadek Wasil.
Both artists have been commissioned to create pieces that will ultimately be placed at the Al Rayyan Stadium precincts. They will also be present at the stadium design launch before appearing at a VIP ceremony and future workshops, masterclasses and shadowing opportunities before finalising their pieces.
Talking to www.sc.qa, Qatari artist Faraj Deham revealed: “I am very happy that the SC understands the importance of arts and culture and how it goes hand-in-hand with sports. As recycled art is not new to me, when I prepared my proposal for Al Rayyan Stadium I came up with many ideas but ultimately chose to use the alsamar tree which is unique to Al Rayyan.”
Meanwhile, Sadek Wasil explained the inspiration behind his piece which will feature the chairs from Al Rayyan Stadium: “The chairs used by the fans were the ones that fascinated me the most and mattered to me. My goal is for the fans to realise that the chairs they used will turn into art pieces.”
This programme contributes to the environmental sustainability goal which has been a key part of the SC programme from the outset. The successful deconstruction of the old Al Rayyan Stadium was completed in February 2015, with at least 90% of existing materials at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium re-used and recycled – some of them for the recycled art pieces. The main objective of the programme is to enhance cultural exchange by bringing well-established artists from different backgrounds to create art that echoes the traditions and history of the Al Rayyan community.
More recently, the new home of this season’s Qatar Stars League (QSL) champions Al Rayyan has continued to take on shape, as construction on the Al Rayyan Stadium temporary training facility next to the main stadium site concluded in time for the start of the new season in September 2016.
Al Rayyan’s new training facilities are being built by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) in order to allow the club to continue with their operations until the stadium is completed in 2019.
“The training pitches are advancing rapidly and will be ready to be used for the new season, we are looking to hand them over by August 2016,” said Abdulla al-Fehani, SC Al Rayyan Project Manager. “In order to make sure that Al Rayyan has purpose-built training facilities even during the construction of the stadium, we consulted the club and have built the facilities according to their requirements. It will have two main components, one administration building and six pitches with one athletic track, as well as changing rooms. The team changing room facilities include a press room, and player’s recovery units including ice bath areas, sauna and Jacuzzi similar to what you have in Premier League clubs.”
While the training pitches are now being finalised with the grass being planted, excavation works have been completed on the nearby Al Rayyan Stadium site in readiness for the Main Contractor coming on board.  
“Excavation of about 210,000 cubic metres has been completed on site, which will be reused as part of the main project for our sustainability commitments,” al-Fehani said.
“We have dug down six metres for the foundation, the parking areas and the new pitch. With the new Dukhan highway and Doha Metro advancing quickly in the vicinity for transportation links, and the new shopping area also coming along, this will be a completely different community by the time that this stadium development is completed in 2019.”