Reconstruction of the football stadium in Goris (Syunik province, Armenia) will begin in April this year. Reconstruction works are fully scheduled for completion in 8 months. The restoration works were planned to begin in April, but the weather conditions are still not very favorable for the start of construction, at least in the first week of April. Hopefully, the nature will be favorable to us, and the reconstruction works will start at least in mid-April. It is noteworthy, that the complete overhaul of the stadium and the programs for developing football in the region are being implemented since December 2018 with financial support from a Swiss philanthropist of Armenian origin and together with FFA (Football Federation of Armenia) and Goris municipality. Goris stadium was built in the 80s, and so far no repair work has been performed. New stadium is designed for 3500 spectators. 1 million USD will be invested in the project. There will be 2 open football pitches, changing rooms and indoor gym. In addition to the reconstruction of the stadium, it is also planned to build a football academy for 300 children. At the end of 2018, 90 Armenian children received sport shoes, football accessories and balls with the support of the Swiss-Armenian sponsor. The Mayor of Goris, in his turn, stressed that initiatives for the development of sports in Goris should have tangible results, and the community will make every effort to do greatest progress in this direction.

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.

It's traditionally played on grass and clay, but could tennis matches one day take place in a waterproof bubble in an "underwater Wimbledon"? An architect Krysztof Kotala from Polish firm 8+8 Concept Studios has released designs for an ambitious project to build an underwater tennis court off the coast of Dubai. He showcased some computer-generated images of the proposed tennis court. An underwater tennis complex could be built just offshore in the Persian Gulf, between the Burj al Arab and the Palm Jumeirah islands. Part sports arena and part aquarium, the eccentric concept for the seven-court complex calls for a rooftop coral reef, which would bring an abundance of sea life to the area for spectators (and players) to view. During his interview to Arabian Business Kotala told that the idea had strong commercial potential and would combine the best of "technology, ecology and sport." An architect is currently seeking investment from local backers to make the concept a reality. "There is not an investor but I would like to get interest as I think it is a good idea," he told Arabian Business. However, although the underwater sports concept looks stunning, engineers have poured water (excuse the pun) on the idea that such a tennis court could be built with current technology. Sarah Fray, director of engineering and technical services at the Institution of Structural Engineers in London, explained that one of the biggest challenges would be to create the large span of glass to cover the court. This would have to be at least 33 meters wide to accommodate the court and spectators. Currently, flat panels of glass can be manufactured in single pieces around 10 meters long - such as panels used in Apple's store in Turkey - but new machinery would have to be invented to make larger panes of curved glass, the type of which would be needed for the design. Another challenge is how to get to the tennis court. She explains that there would have to be a way for the structure to be connected to the surface. However, she conceded that the arched shape of the underwater court is a good idea because it's the best way of resisting pressure, the likes of which would be vast, particularly if the court was submerged at a decent depth beneath the waves. Will Stewart, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) added that the design may not appear as bright inside as the concept images suggest. He explained the glass would have to be many meters thicker at the edges than at the center of the arch, so views of the ocean would not be as bright as they are in the concept pictures. Dubai is no stranger to unusual tennis courts. In 2005, a court was built atop the 305 meters tall Burj al Arab hotel to promote the Dubai Tennis Championships. Besides this Dubai is known for outlandish construction projects including man-made islands and the world's tallest building. It also already has a restaurant - Al Mahara - that's underwater. However the technological challenges are big, but the human challenges are bigger. And in future everything is possible.

Recently Korean architects presented the new hotel project which will host the Winter Olympic Games 2018. The green terrace-lined design snakes in cascading curves that form an infinity shape. The new hotel will be located in Gangneung in Eastern Korea in a prime position for tourism. The resort itself is within approximately 5 kilometers from Olympic stadiums and facilities in the area, most of which are due for completion in 2016. The building, designed by the Seoul architectural firm "Planning Korea", looks like a three-dimensional infinity sign or volume Mobius strip. Architectures also mentioned that the sweeping figure-eight form of the resort draws inspiration from the ecological structure of the plankton, and references the project's conceptual basis of "a strip of healing or recreation." The twisted loop forms the predominant circulation space of the structure, whilst also providing a substantial space frame upon which a glass facade will be mounted. Offering 946 rooms and sprawling across nearly a 30 thousand square meters site, the hotel will offer a combination of marine and mountain leisure activities. The hotel will also feature a swimming pool suspended in a "belt" linking the building's dual cores. Rooftop sky facilities will adorn the hotel's top level, while LED lights at lower levels create a media facade. Approaching ground level the structure assumes a form evocative of Korean traditional housing, the Hanok. Planning Korea hope to "form a village" using these modernized versions of the traditional typology, interspersing restaurants and retail outlets in their midst. It is envisioned that the resort will allow "activities, recreation and healing within the nature" during the 2018 Winter Olympics, after which point it will be used for conventions and other events.