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Infrastructure requirements for the Qatar World Cup
April 2nd, 2013 by adminAuthor: David Howells
On 2nd December 2010, amid fierce competition and even talk of foul play, Qatar was awarded the 2022 FIFA World Cup, making it the first Arab state to be chosen for the role. With its population of 1.69 million, FIFA chief Sepp Blatter said it “deserved” to host the tournament as it had not previously had a chance to do so.
Whilst the announcement was met with celebrations, no secret was made of the work that had to follow. Of the 12 stadia set to host the tournament, for example, nine weren’t even built and the remaining three had ambitious expansion plans. Therefore, not one of the host grounds was to remain even slightly unchanged ahead of the tournament opening. The first ground to be completed is expected by 2015, provided the “master schedule” remains on course.
Alongside the expansion of the stadia comes all the other knock-on effects which also need addressing, such as parking, access and public transport. For some of the new-build stadia, this would have to be started from scratch.
With this in mind, there are a number of different considerations for the Qatari policymakers to carefully consider, from building, to maintaining and running their new infrastructure projects.
Recruitment
Recruitment has already begun in Qatar for World Cup projects, with some contractors creating roles almost as soon as the bid was awarded. Among them was Hyder, the 150-year-old design consultancy which has a rich portfolio containing the likes of Tower Bridge, the Taiwan High Speed Rail, the entire M25 DBFO (design, build, finance and operate), the MGM Grand Casino, Burj Khalifa, Sydney Harbour Bridge and, more recently, Crossrail. It announced after the successful bid that it would be hiring around 500 engineers – most of them from Britain – to head out to handle the anticipated surge in workload on World Cup projects.
It’s not just the brand new contracts which Brits could look to fill, however, but some that will be shed by local contractors not able or willing to complete them. These were outlined by Hyder as some the company would consider actively chasing.
Outside of the stadia
As mentioned above, increasing existing stadia or building new ones from scratch isn’t the end of it all, as other infrastructure projects need to be created around the different towns to accommodate visitors whilst ensuring existing residents aren’t pushed out.
Already the policymakers have pledged to invest $35 billion (£23.5 billion) into a new rail and metro line, as well as a new seaport for $7 billion (£4.7 billion) and numerous roads around the grounds. Hotels are also due to spring up in sought-after locations, whilst even new housing projects look set to see the light of day ahead of the grand opening. In total, the infrastructure spend is expected to reach $130 billion (£87.1 billion).
Cooling requirements
One eye-catching aspect of Qatar’s new stadia will be the cooling features they will offer players and fans alike. Whilst football in Britain may often be played in the rain, hail and frost, this is incredibly unlikely to be the case in Qatar, with June and July typically getting no rain whatsoever, whilst temperatures hit average highs of 41 degrees C and lows of 28 degrees C.
So that visiting players and fans are not left sweltering in the unfamiliar heat, the Qatari decision makers opted to include state-of-the-art cooling systems that formed a large part of its eventually-successful bid. Bid chairman Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani said it not only had temperature controls in mind, but also claimed “we have other plans up our sleeves as well”.
Environmental concerns around the systems were also raised, but this had already been considered, with plans afoot to use solar energy in order to power the systems and lower their carbon footprint.
Lessons to be learned
Delivering the World Cup does, however, provide a bank of experience from which to draw. It will be the 22nd time the tournament has been held, with it dating back to 1930 when the inaugural event saw Uruguay crowned victors on home soil. There’s also experience to be gleaned from other, similar events, such as the Rugby World Cup or Africa Cup of Nations. The South African World Cup held in 2010 could also provide the closest inspiration where the event is concerned, even if only five of the ten stadia were newly built.
Whilst a much larger spectacle, the London Olympic Games 2012 could also prove inspirational, as well as the transfer to Rio de Janeiro, which has called upon many of those instrumental in the delivery of London 2012 to bring their experience to Brazil.
Elsewhere, Equatorial Guinea completed 97 per cent of all the infrastructure work needed to host the Africa Cup of Nations 2012 by August of the previous year. Whilst only a co-host of the football tournament, the country put in place measures that would see it reach near-completion with months to go in order to guarantee everything would be delivered on time. This preparation could signify a hunt for workers to head to Qatar sooner than people may expect, even if the games don’t kick off for another nine years.
There is, undoubtedly, a great deal of issues to consider before Qatar is ready to host the World Cup. There’s also the issue of a few million dollars worth of stadia to be built. This all, however, should provide good news for those in the construction and engineering sectors the world over, with business there to be had. For the British, the situation could prove to be even more beneficial, with recent successes delivering big events reinforcing that long-held belief that the country offers quality in both design and delivery of such projects.
Author: David Howells
On 2nd December 2010, amid fierce competition and even talk of foul play, Qatar was awarded the 2022 FIFA World Cup, making it the first Arab state to be chosen for the role. With its population of 1.69 million, FIFA chief Sepp Blatter said it “deserved” to host the tournament as it had not previously had a chance to do so. (more…)
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