Qatar’s 974 was designed to create an innovative blueprint for others to follow worldwide.
Negotiations are taking place in Belgium’s city of Charleroi to construct a venue inspired by Qatar’s iconic 974 stadium, according to the newspaper La Derniere Heure.
The 1895 Arena will now be ereected after an apparent Legoland project was scrapped, the publication said.
Composed of recycled decommissioned containers from the Belgium port of Antwerp and Zeebrugge, the 1895 Arena will be housed with exactly 1895 containers, similar to the innovative concept of Qatar’s 974.
However, the 1895 Arena, which referenced the year of birth of the Belgian Football Union and its official fan club, will be larger than 974 as it will seek to accommodate 65,000 seats.
“After the disappointments from major foreign industrial groups, it seems this time that there is a real consensus for the private and public, Belgian this time, to join forces to do themselves what others procrastinate to conclude. A real great Belgian and unifying project, finally,” a source close to the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) told La Derniere Heure.
Deemed a notable success for innovation and sustainability, 974’s mission was to inspire the construction of similar venues, like the 1895 Arena, as it encourages waterfront development for the sports and entertainment world.
Completed using 974 shipping containers, Qatar’s iconic venue is set to be dismantled following its hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 matches late last year.
An overarching legacy, the stadium hosted its final game in the quarterfinals and followed up with the famed Fashion United by CR Runway, which brought together 150 designers from six continents and 50 countries.
The Secretary General of the World Cup organising body, Hassan Al Thawadi, expressed that every stadium complied with sustainability standards to ensure use in the aftermath of the tournament, as a tribute to Qatar’s dedication to cost-effective sustainability.
“We have recycled and reused wherever possible and implemented a vast range of energy and water efficiency solutions,'” Al Thawadi stated.
“We have used materials from sustainable sources and implemented innovative legacy plans to ensure our tournament doesn’t leave any white elephants,'” Al Thawadi added, referring to the term when an object is no longer of use.
Not only is 974 expected to be charted away, but several of the 2022 World Cup’s venues will lessen their post-tournament capacity from 40,000 to 20,000.
Removed seats will be offered to underdeveloped nations to create other needs with the material.
