The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) has announced the main contractor of Lusail Stadium, with Qatari company HBK Contracting (HBK) and China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) as a joint venture (JV).
British architectural firm Foster + Partners completed the schematic design of the 80,000-seat stadium earlier this year. The venue, in Lusail City, 20km north of Doha, is scheduled for completion by 2020 and will host the opening and final matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in a little over six years’ time.
“The awarding of this contract represents another important project milestone and comes at a significant time as Qatar and the SC have just passed the six years to go anniversary and reach the halfway point in our 2022 FIFA World Cup journey,” said SC secretary general, Hassan al-Thawadi.
“Lusail Stadium will be the centrepiece of our tournament in 2022, and post tournament will become an integral part of the community in Lusail City in the legacy phase. We look forward to revealing the Qatari-inspired design and detailed legacy plans to the people in Qatar and football fans across the world next year,” he explained.
Lusail Stadium and its surrounding precinct will offer a variety of legacy uses to the inhabitants of Lusail City and the greater community after the event, in partnership with Lusail Real Estate Development Company, Qatari Diar and private sector developers. The legacy concept for the stadium will be presented along with the Lusail Stadium design in 2017.
The stadium is located on a 1sqkm precinct plot along the Al Khor Expressway in the western edge of Lusail City, with the south facing the commercial boulevard of Lusail City. The long-term development plans for the precinct include developments such as a Theatre District that will be a first of its kind in the Middle East.
SC’s Technical Delivery Office chairman engineer Hilal al-Kuwari said the appointment of a local company in this joint venture is also significant and demonstrates SC’s commitment of contributing to the economic legacy for Qatar post 2022.
HBK Contracting Company president Sheikh Ali bin Hamad K al-Thani, said: “Being a Qatari company we are also proud to be part of such a historic national project and will endeavour to do all that we can to ensure we deliver Lusail Stadium with our partners at CRCC to the highest possible standard and in line with the agreed deadlines.”
CRCC International Limited chairman Zhuo Lei said: “As a leading enterprise of the engineering and construction industry of China, we are honoured to join hands with our Qatari Joint Venture partner HBK in delivering Lusail Stadium.”
The SC also announced it has awarded Marafeq with District Cooling Supply Agreement to provide cooling to the stadium. Marafeq will provide up to 30,000 tonnes of refrigeration to serve the stadium before and during the tournament. All eight stadiums currently under construction across Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup will feature innovative cooling technology.
Lusail Stadium site construction began in 2014, with TIME Qatar as the project managers. Most recently early works and site office construction projects were completed by Galfar Al Misnad, with levelling and grading works and site and access roads completed by local contractor Marbu Contracting.
By the end of 2016, the main-works contractor will be mobilised on site and the SC plans to reveal the final stadium design in early 2017.
The stadium has been designed to be in harmony with the surrounding Lusail City. To achieve this, extensive work has been carried out to integrate the stadium with the neighbouring master plan.
“The schematic phase was completed with Foster + Partners’ following an exercise in legacy planning. For Lusail Stadium we are building a venue which will become an internationally-recognisable landmark,” said Mubarak al-Khulaifi, SC Project Director at Lusail Stadium.
Lusail City is expected to have more than 200,000 residents and 170,000 people expected to work in the city’s different districts come tournament time in six years’ time.
Lusail City’s 19 districts will encompass residential, commercial, hospitality and retail opportunities. The city of the future boasts a light rail network, a water taxi transportation system and a cycle and pedestrian network. A total of 30% of the land area will be dedicated to green and open spaces to create a relaxed atmosphere, integrated with lively components of the city.
Earlier this year, main works were awarded to Al Rayyan Stadium and Qatar Foundation Stadium, which joined Khalifa International Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor City and Al Wakrah Stadium in construction main works stage.
All contracts on Lusail Stadium incorporate the SC’s Workers’ Welfare Standards. Contractual enforcement of these standards and a rigorous four-tier auditing system guarantees international best practice on Lusail Stadium.
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