Interview | Hassan Al Thawadi
let me give you a few samples of national projects.
In terms of accommodation, we are looking at in excess of 95,000 hotel rooms by 2022 and working with our partners at the Qatar Tourism Authority, we want to provide the optimum solution for the event in 2022 and simultaneously dovetail with the national tourism strategy. Our infrastructure partners at Ashghal, Qatar’s Public Works Authority, are already implementing major projects which covers 900km of new roads and 240 new interchanges before 2017. Ashghal’s projects over the next five years are worth around QR 100bn – around £20bn. The Qatar Rail’s underground
development will play a vital role in connecting tournament venues and providing an optimum mass transit solution for the event and beyond. Qatar Rail has already awarded $9bn worth of contracts. A 37-station network will be launched in 2019, expanding to 56 by 2026 – connecting our entire nation. Doha’s airport has slowly
developed into a hub connecting east and west. The new Hamad International Airport is due to open this year and is projected to serve 50 million passengers on an annual basis. The airport’s continued rise is in parallel to Qatar Airways’ continuing expansion – now connecting our capital to over 125 destinations in 6 continents.
What will be innovative about Qatar’s
approach to the World Cup? We bid for the FIFA World Cup in the summer because we saw the opportunity to present solutions for players and fans in our country, and others with similar climates, to enjoy the outdoors in cool, safe and comfortable conditions in the summer months.
We committed significant time
and resources toward proving that we could host the tournament in summer in cool, comfortable and safe conditions. If the international football community reaches a consensus to move the event to an alternate date, we are able to accommodate that change. This would not affect our planning and preparation. Our commitment to cooling technologies will continue, for without it certain parts of the
global-opportunity.co.uk
l Hassan Al Thawadi studied law at Sheffield University and completed his A Levels in Scunthorpe. During his time in the UK he was able to continue his passion for playing and watching football and continues to keep a keen eye on Liverpool FC. As well as his role as Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, he also served as CEO of the Qatar 2022 Bid Committee.
world will be denied the right to host such events. In addition to design elements that consider shading and ‘passive cooling,’ our stadium – in fact – all of our stadiums will utilise integrated cooling technologies to ensure a cool and comfortable environment for spectators, players and officials and to ensure that the stadium can be used all year round. Legacy, innovation and sustainability are always at the forefront of our thinking. During our bid we pledged that a majority of our stadiums would be built with modular components. We don’t want to be left with white elephants. Al Wakrah’s design showcases this, with a capacity of around 40,000 for the tournament and 20,000 in ‘legacy’. Our concept revolves around a modular top tier of seating that can be removed after the event and provided – in collaboration with FIFA and the relevant regional bodies – to countries in need of sporting infrastructure. The end result is a contribution to global sport development and no white elephants in Qatar.
As with all of our stadiums, Al Wakrah stadium will be part of a vibrant precinct. Our stadiums will be focal points of their respective communities. We have undertaken studies and met with local community members to ensure that the construction of the precinct reflects the needs of the community. In Al Wakrah, the precinct will include green spaces and parks, a sports facility catering specifically to women and a four- star business hotel to name a few. Suffice to say, I am extremely
proud of the innovation that inspired our bid and that will underpin the success of our event.
HASSAN AL THAWADI
‘The scale of construction in Qatar is phenomenal. 2022 has provided a catalyst for projects aimed at fulfilling the 2030 National Vision.’
Will all the stadia be air-conditioned
and how will this be achieved? Qatar already has one cooled stadium at Al Sadd Sports Club, retrofitted in 2008. FIFA’s inspection team visited this stadium and experienced the cooling first-hand. In 2010, we constructed a
prototype carbon-neutral stadium which utilised renewable energy- powered cooling technologies to cool the stadium, which FIFA’s inspection team also visited. We are currently in a period of research and development to implement these environmentally-friendly cooling technologies on a larger scale in our stadiums, training pitches, fan zones and public areas for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™.
With such a successful Olympic delivery in London, are you convinced that UK companies can play a large part in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™?
Absolutely. We are already working with a number of British firms on various projects, and we look forward to developing partnerships with many more. We launched the first design
concept in November of 2013, and I’m proud to say that British excellence and innovation will play an important role in our stadium in the town of Al Wakrah. The stadium is designed by the renowned British-Iraqi Zaha Hadid and her firm – Zaha Hadid Architects. The stadium is based on the curved form of the traditional Dhow – a fishing boat that you can still see today sailing off the coast of Qatar. The form provides the structure
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