Lusail Stadium
Lusail City, Qatar
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Typologies
Stadiums
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Building Activities
Soccer
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Services
Architecture, Wayfinding
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Completion
2022
Lusail Stadium hosted ten matches at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, including the final. located in Lusail City, 15km north of Doha, it was the largest capacity of all the tournament’s eight venues with a capacity of 80,000.
Working closely with Foster + Partners as the stadium design architect and Arup as the stadium engineers, Populous carried out the role of the sports architect for the stadium, responsible for the design of the seating bowl and associated facilities. The scope of work also included FIFA compliance, covering the design requirements for FIFA pitch edge electronic perimeter boards, FIFA camera positions, media presentation platforms, and facilities for players and officials, as well as VIP sections for 300 VVIP seats and 1,700 VIP seats, and a large media area located in the upper west GA tier.
CHALLENGE. The sports architecture brief required a world-class match day experience, generating a memorable atmosphere that could be enjoyed not just by the 80,000 spectators in the stadium, but also global television viewers.
“We are proud of the part our team has played working with Foster + Partners and Arup in delivering a world class stadium for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, and beyond that for football in Qatar and the wider Middle East region. This project showcases the breadth of specialist design and technical expertise required in the delivery of major stadiums, as well as the planning and execution of the world biggest sporting spectacles.”
Christopher Lee, Managing Director – EMEA, Populous
INNOVATION. In line with the design team’s overriding ambition to generate the best atmosphere for spectators attending events, the seating bowl was created as a ‘radial’ single saddle bowl, consisting of three distinct continuous tiers, which when occupied create an experience that is connected and compact around the field of play. The seating positions as many spectators as close to the pitch as possible to encourage a heightened atmosphere and the most intimate and immersive experience for spectators as possible.
Each of the three tiers is effectively divided in two: the lower GA tier has an upper and lower section, the Mid-tier consists of the hospitality and box tier, with the VVIP/VIP section sitting within this tier in the west stand, and the GA Upper tier has a lower and upper section, the upper section being on the east and west ‘stands’ only.
A highly legible wayfinding and overlay strategy was developed. This will ensure that this complex national stadium will be easy for thousands of spectators to navigate during the World Cup, despite it being their first visit, and that the stadium is equipped to deliver such a major event.
IMPACT. This innovative thinking, technical and operational expertise has delivered a world-class stadium for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and beyond that for football in Qatar and the wider Middle East region.
