The Peninsula
Al Thumama Stadium, one of the eight FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 venues, was awarded a Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) five-star rating yesterday. The ‘gahfiya’ inspired stadium, inaugurated last year for the Amir Cup final, received five stars for its design and build and a Class A* certificate for construction management.
The sustainability rating further highlights Qatar’s commitment to delivering a carbon-neutral World Cup, as Al Bayt and Education City stadiums also have five-star ratings. Al Janoub Stadium and the Khalifa International Stadium have been granted GSAS certificates with four stars.
GSAS is the first integrated and performance-based system in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for assessing and rating buildings and infrastructure for their sustainability impacts. The framework has been developed by the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD).
Speaking to the media after the certification, Eng. Bodour Al Meer, Director of Sustainability at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, said the organisers had exceeded FIFA requirements.
“I’m proud that we are getting five stars, exceeding the FIFA requirement,” Eng. Al Meer said. “FIFA requires all the stadiums to get one Green Building certification in design and build, but our stadiums are getting three different types of certification — one in design and build, one in construction management and one in operation. FIFA requirement is to get four stars, and Al Thumama Stadium, we’re getting five stars today,” she added.
Brahim Jaida, architect of the stadium, said the recognition sets a new benchmark for future stadiums built around the world. “It’s a great moment to win five stars. Reaching five stars means this stadium has the highest sustainability rank for any stadium construction, not only in Qatar or the region — actually, in the world. No stadium has reached the highest score rating. So it’s a great honour for us, and we are proud that all the stadiums built in Qatar are four and five stars. They are all sustainable, and these will be setting the benchmark for any future stadiums built anywhere around the world,” Jaida said.
He noted that all the stadiums for Qatar 2022 have unique identities, representing the Middle East and the Far East cultures. “This stadium, I think, doesn’t only represent our culture, but the wider culture of the Middle and the Far East. That’s why we always say the World Cup in Qatar represents not only us but our wider region of Asia.”