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.

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.

Qatar is set to spend up to US$ 150 billion on infrastructure projects over the next 5-6 years as it starts preparing for the 2022 World Cup, reported Arabian Business. Yousef Hussein Kamal, Minister of Economy and Finance, also said spending on the oil and gas sector would reach US$ 40 billion in the same period. The Qatari government has reportedly allocated a whopping 40 percent of its budget between now and 2016 to infrastructure projects, including US$ 11 billion on a new international airport, US$ 5.5 billion on a deepwater seaport and US$ 1 billion for a transport corridor in the capital, Doha. It will spend US$ 20 billion on roads while stadium construction for the World Cup should cost just under US$ 4 billion, with the first venue to be built by 2015. According to German legal and financial adviser Dr Nicola Ritter, US$ 48 billion will be spent to build air-conditioned stadia, US$ 77 billion will be spent on facilities for soccer fans and players from all over the world and US$ 45 billion will be allocated for developing Lusail City. Qatar has also allocated US$ 50 billion to upgrade its transport infrastructure, including new rail and metro systems.

Work on the US$ 1.37 billion "Doha Festival City" project in Qatar is due to start in the next few days, reported Arabian Business. The project is one of the first mega projects to get underway as a result of Qatar's successful bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2022 tournament. Ibrahim Mohamed Jaidah, managing director of Arab Engineering Bureau (AEB), the project architects on the Doha Festival City project, said it had seen a big surge in opportunities as a result of Qatar's successful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The project is located 15 kilometers north of downtown Doha on Al Shamal Road, one of the main arterial routes to the city centre and connecting Doha with Bahrain. The 434 thousand square meter entertainment, retail, hospitality and commercial facility project is being developed by Dubai's "Al-Futtaim Group", which has also developed the Festival City construction brand in the UAE and Egypt. Due to be completed in 2014, some of the main retail tenants already announced include the Swedish furnishing giant "IKEA", Toys "R" Us, "Marks & Spencer" and "Inter sport".

As reported by worldconstructionnetwork.com, construction work is set to begin on a US$ 500 million semi-submerged resort named Amphibious 1000, on the Qatar coast. Designed by Italy-based company Giancarlo Zema Design Group, the resort will be situated in the centre of a marine reserve and will extend for one kilometre in a horizontal position. Divided into two sections of land and sea, the project includes residential buildings, offices, a central marine park, floating walkways and underwater marina galleries that all form a semi circle around the central tower, which hosts a panoramic restaurant. Sea part will house 4 giant hotels comprising underwater rooms replicating the look of super-yachts. The resort's land portion will be equipped with a museum, exhibitions and aquariums. Other features of the facility include floating walkways as well as a restaurant allowing glimpses of the surrounding landscape. The facility will also incorporate 80 self-contained floating suites known as Jellyfish. Every suite will encompass four stories while featuring an underwater aquarium lounge. The hotels will surround a central public welcome area comprising an interactive museum on water life, water exhibition galleries as well as a glass tunnel leading to the underwater observatory in the marine park's centre. The welcome area is linked via long arm-like structures to fitness centres, gardens and a special outdoor theatre adorned with a moving stage which opens out to the sea. The transportation of guests across the resort will be facilitated by hydrogen-powered aluminium yachts called Trilobis measuring 20 metres. The vessels will sport a steel hull complemented by a superstructure in aluminium and will possess underwater observatory zones.