Sustainable overlay and other sites
Initiative description: Applying sustainable building principles in line with sustainable building standards for the procurement, construction, operation or post-tournament use of training sites, non-competition sites and overlay infrastructure – as well as considering these practices in site selection when possible.
Whilst the stadiums hosted the matches, there were several other sites that were essential to the successful delivery of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. These included official sites such as the FIFA Fan Festival™, International Broadcast Centre, Main Media Centre, Tournament Headquarters and official training sites, as well as other sites such as the Corniche Activation Area and Fan Zones. Sustainable building principles were applied to these supporting sites to strengthen the management of sustainability impacts associated with the tournament.
FIFA Fan Festival™
The FIFA Fan Festival™ was a 40,000-capacity temporary entertainment area, covering 145,000 square metres at Al Bidda Park in Doha, where over 1.8 million fans were able to watch matches on giant screens and participate in a wide range of cultural and educational experiences.
From the onset of the project inception, sustainability was integrated into all aspects of the FIFA Fan Festival™ – design, construction and operations through the implementation of a sustainability management plan. The event was designed around a disassembly and reuse strategy from the production planning phase, prioritising local procurement of supplies and equipment, thus avoiding long-distance transport. Tents, air-conditioning units, main-stage and site-wide structures, including delay towers, camera platforms, etc. on steel scaffolding were rented and will be reused for future events, thus eliminating the need for new materials. Energy and water consumption was optimised through efficient power planning and use of existing power and potable water networks was maximised to reduce the dependency on diesel generators and water trucks.
In addition, the FIFA Fan Festival™ conducted various community activations related to sustainable development for the visitors to engage with, further details of which are included in the FIFA Fan Festival™ and Fan Zones web page of this report.
The Corniche Activation and Fan Zones
The Corniche Activation, which stretched along 6km of the main street in Doha, was a major destination for the public with continuous entertainment, match screenings, and food and beverage outlets over a period of 30 days.
Similar in intent to the FIFA Fan Festival™, two Fan Zones were created at Al Khor and at Doha’s main cricket stadium with respective capacities of 15,000 and 40,000. These fan zones were specifically designed for residents of Qatar and included match screenings, live performances, entertainment and activations, as well as a vast array of food and beverage outlets.
Specific sustainability requirements, as per the Sustainable Sourcing Code, were applied throughout tender, procurement, design, operation and decommissioning. Detailed sustainability management plans were also in place that covered staff training; resource planning (including rentals and the use of existing structures and site features); agreements with service providers for collecting, recycling and/or treating segregated waste streams; emissions reduction through sustainable transport and efficient use of energy; water efficiency, air quality and noise control plans; and legacy plans for disassembled materials.
Training sites
There were 32 training sites available for the teams participating in the tournament, with each team having their own dedicated facilities for their participation in the tournament. The design and construction of training sites across Qatar, which included floodlit, natural grass football pitches and ancillary facilities such as changing rooms, were carried out in a manner that limits environmental impact.
Sustainable practices at the time of construction of training sites included: dust control with recycled water, regular dust and noise monitoring (which was solar powered), use of green waste compost for pitch construction, and recycling of plastic, paper, metal and green waste. Up to 90% of materials were procured within Qatar, bringing economic benefit to local businesses.
Other sites
The Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), which was used as the International Broadcast Centre and Main Media Centre during the tournament, holds a LEED green building certification.
In addition, a green building inspection was carried out at the Doha Exhibition Centre, which hosted the Tournament Headquarters, Host Country Main Operations Centre, Accreditation Centre, Uniform Distribution Centre, Volunteer Centre and Workforce Training Centre. The inspection provided a series of recommendations that were implemented during tournament operations, including improved waste segregation, better management of lighting and air conditioning systems and the installation of composting equipment.
Overlay infrastructure
Overlay is the term used for temporary installations or structures for the event. A significant amount of overlay, such as temporary buildings for security checks and perimeter fencing, was used for FIFA Arab Cup™ and for FIFA Club World Cup™ stadiums, reducing the need for new overlay during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.
Other examples of sustainability features embedded in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ overlay included:
water fountains/bottle refill stations for workforce reducing the need for single-use plastic bottles
solar-powered temporary lighting installations;
energy-efficient air conditioning;
energy-efficient LED lighting in overlay tents;
tents with well-insulated walls; and
temporary sub-stations allowing grid power to be used instead of diesel generators.