Khalifa International Stadium wins top sustainability award

The

Khalifa International Stadium – the first completed tournament venue

for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar – has received a major sustainability

certification, fifa.com reported yesterday.

The 40,000-capacity

stadium has become the first in the world to be awarded a four-star

rating from the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), which is

administered by Qatar-based Gulf Organisation for Research &

Development (Gord).

Qatar’s national stadium, which officially

reopened in May of this year, underwent extensive redevelopment that was

overseen by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC),

Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organising body, and the Aspire Zone Foundation.

The official four-star certification follows a provisional award

announced in June 2016.  Fitted with innovative and energy-efficient

cooling technology, the Khalifa International Stadium received the

rating during the second annual Sustainability Summit in Doha, which was

organised by Gord and sponsored by the SC.

“We are very proud to

receive the four-star certification – this is a major achievement for

Qatar, the SC and Aspire Zone Foundation, as we strive to meet our

ambitious sustainability targets in the lead-up to 2022 and beyond,”

said Bodour al-Meer, the SC’s Sustainability & Environmental

Manager.

In order to obtain GSAS certification, developers must

employ leading sustainability practices in the design, construction and

operation to minimise a building’s ecological footprint. Khalifa

International Stadium’s cooling technology uses an energy recovery

system in order to reduce energy consumption. In addition, the stadium

features energy-efficient lighting systems and plumbing fixtures.

FIFA’s

Head of Sustainability & Diversity, Federico Addiechi, praised

Qatar’s commitment to sustainability. “It’s great to see that Qatar’s

first stadium has successfully received certification so far in advance

of the tournament,” said Addiechi. “Also, the fact that such a

sophisticated certification system exists and is being widely used in

Qatar is very promising. “Stadiums are at the heart of a FIFA World Cup,

making them the focus for the sustainable management of the event.”





As seen on GulfTimes  Image Credits GulfTimes