Abandoned stadiums and crumbling arenas are often left in the wake of events like the World Cup and the Olympics. In a bid for more sustainable construction, Qatar has unveiled plans for the world’s first fully modular stadium ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Designed by Fenwick Iribarren, Schlaich Bergermann Partner and Hilson Moran, the Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, would be mainly built of shipping containers to allow for disassembly and reconstruction. The 40,000-seat venue is slated for completion in 2020 and will be located in a 450 thousand square meters waterfront site on Doha’s shore, where the use of shipping containers as one of the main building blocks will echo the nearby port. The plans for the stadium—the latest in Qatar’s total of eight proposed host venues for the FIFA World Cup—was revealed recently. Unlike the World Cup stadiums before it, the Ras Abu Aboud Stadium will be built of modular building blocks presumably constructed in a factory with amenities, such as removable seats, concession stands, and bathrooms, ahead of on-site assembly. The modular approach results in less waste and a reduced carbon footprint, and may earn the stadium a four-star Global Sustainability Assessment System certification.

British football club Tottenham Hotspur has released plans for a new stadium designed by Populous. Planned to be built in the London borough of Haringey, the "visually dramatic" 61,000-seat proposal is designed to host both English and American football. If approved, it will feature a state-of-the-art retractable pitch and a 17,000 capacity single tier end stand that will be the UK's largest. The state-of-the-art stadium, due to open in the summer of 2018, will feature a retractable grass field with an artificial surface underneath that would be used for NFL games. This field will be multi-use and capable of hosting other sporting, entertainment and community events. Both sports will have dedicated facilities ensuring that the new stadium, designed with a focus on atmosphere, will deliver the optimum experience for both teams and fans. It will be one of the most environmentally sustainable in the UK and also include a clear focus on accessibility via public transportation. Beyond the field, the new stadium will feature a permanent visitor's center and arrivals hub with an interactive museum to celebrate club history and local heritage, a cinema, the club megastore, ticket office and cafe. At the top of the stadium will be a 40 meters high "Sky Walk" showcasing vistas of London. The stadium is part of the Northumberland Development Project, which will include a new community health center, 180-room hotel and four new residential buildings with 579 apartments designed by Allies and Morrison. New four residential buildings from 16 to 32 stories will offer a mix of 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments, including affordable housing. The new development will provide 275 parking spaces for cars and 900 spaces for bicycles. There also will be a 25 thousand square meters of employment space.

The World Cup 2014 completed, but our eyes are focused to the Mineirao stadium. This 1965 soccer stadium in Belo Horizonte was recently equipped with a whopping 6,000 solar panels on its roof just in time for the international competition. An initiative by local electricity company CEMIG, this is the first ever World Cup stadium completely powered by the sun. Originally built in 1965, the public listed Estadio Governador Magalhaes Pinto is one of this year's World Cup venues. Topped with 6,000 rooftop solar panels, it doubles as a complete photovoltaic solar plant (USF) capable of supplying power to 1,200 households. The plant was built by the Minas Gerais State Electricity Company (CEMIG), in partnership with German bank kfW and Minas Arena, the group that manages the Mineirao. Because the panels produce more energy than is necessary to power the stadium (1,600 megawatts-hour per year), 10 percent of the remaining power goes directly to regular consumers. It will be distributed to surrounding homes, giving back to the local grid with clean energy. Although the Mineirao is the First World Cup stadium completely supplied by solar power, is not the first one in the world. This idea takes inspiration from Germany's Freiburg and Switzerland's Bern stadium, which also works thanks to the brightest star. Estadio Mineirao opened its solar-savvy doors in 2013. German bank KfW and CEMIG provided funding for the massive US$ 16.1 million stadium power plant project.

In preparation for hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar has hired architect Zaha Hadid to design a sprawling new soccer stadium. Hadid's studio will partner with AECOM to construct the stadium in Al Wakrah outside of Doha. Details of the design are still a bit fuzzy, but according to AECOM, the new stadium will integrate energy-efficient design strategies to cool spectators in the desert climate. The historic area of Al Wakrah is known for its rich cultural heritage, including archeological sites, Islamic architecture and historic buildings. The city sought a design that would not disrupt the legacy of the area. The stadium campus will seat 45 thousand soccer fans during games, but it can be reduced to 20 thousand using modular pieces that will repurpose seating areas for other uses. The stadium campus will infuse green space into the desert domain, creating lush forested areas for the community to enjoy. The forested perimeter will also help cool the area while producing fresh oxygen and helping to filter the air. However, it is worth noting that there are no details on what types of plants will be used, and what level of irrigation will be required in what remains a desert environment. The stadium itself will feature a perforated double skin, which is expected to filter in light and encourage cross breezes. Construction is set to begin this year. Zaha Hadid Architects has also been selected to design the new national stadium for Japan and was the firm behind the Aquatics Centre for the London 2012 Olympics, which recently had two temporary spectator stands removed from its sides.

Spanish soccer super-team Real Madrid have announced plans to construct a US$ 1 billion luxury resort in the United Arab Emirates - and to ensure a truly unique location, the sports company plans to construct an archipelago of artificial islands upon which it will be located, reported The National Post. The resort, which has also been described as a theme park for the soccer obsessed, will include five-star hotels, luxury villas, a 10 thousand seat ocean-side football stadium, a marina and a hi-tech museum devoted to the history of the Team. Real Madrid has announced that the 430 thousand square meter project will be constructed in partnership with the UAE government, and they hope to open by 2015. Executives of the investment group behind the project, the RAK Marjan Island Football Investment Fund, said its location, 45 minutes from Dubai airport. In recent times due to a lack of coastal land there are more and more artificial islands designed and constructed for ambitious projects like this. Azerbaijan recently released designs for the World's Tallest Tower "Azerbaijan Tower" on an artificial archipelago located over active oil pipelines, while Qatar is at work on their own man-made island resort the "Amphibious 1000". Dubai, on the other hand recovering from the embarrassing sinking of its island resort "The World".