A year after construction first began on the Al Bayt Al Khor stadium, the structure is now taking shape.

The venue will host matches up to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup, and is being designed to resemble an Arabian tent.

The foundation of the stadium in northern Qatar is now 95 percent complete, and support columns are being put into place.

The structure of one of two team tunnels has also been finished. And the other one is in progress, Qatar’s World Cup organizers have said. Additionally, sections of the stadium are now visible.

When completed in 2018, the stadium will have colored seats, a retractable roof and indoor cooling, the Supreme Committee of Delivery and Legacy (SCDL) said in a statement this week.

Colored seating

The 60,000 seater venue in Al Khor will have three levels of seating. Two will be made from pre-cast concrete and remain in place after the tournament.

A third, top section will be constructed from structural steel and will be a removable module.

After the World Cup, this tier will be removed, reducing the stadium’s capacity to 32,000 fans, said Mohemed Ahmed, project manager for Khalifa International Stadium and Al Bayt Stadium.

Resembling the interior of the Bedouin tent, the stadiums will be colored red, black and white. Samples of them have already started arriving on site.

They are being designed, made and fitted by local firm Costal Trading and Contracting Co., and will be installed next year, Ahmed added.

The venue will host matches up to the semi-finals during the tournament, which will be held in November and December 2022.

Retractable roof

To enable play throughout the year, even in the searing summer months, the stadium will have a retractable roof that can close completely within 20 minutes.

The air temperature inside will be chilled using special cooling technology.

So far, the first sections of the 12m-high, lower-tier walls are being installed. Building columns up to 21m in height are also in place.

Additionally, sections of the buttress wall are going up, which will support the next two levels of the structure.

Some 21 cranes are on site, including a 280-tonne mega crane, as construction gears up to the next step – placing the top slab, SCDL added.

Community facilities

Al Bayt stadium will be situated at the heart of a 1 million square meter complex that will also include a hospital, a mall and a park.

Ongoing works in the surrounding area include excavation, de-watering and the installation of pipe connections.

A joint venture involving Galfar Al Misnad, Salini Impregilo Group and Cimolai won a QR3.2billion contract last July to lead the main construction of the stadium and an adjacent energy center.

Meanwhile, local contractors Bin Omran Trading & Contracting and Al Sulaiteen Agricultural & Industrial Complex are working on the precinct infrastructure and landscape, respectively.

Al Bayt Al Khor is one of eight stadiums announced so far by the SCDL.

FIFA has yet to officially confirm the total number of venues Qatar must prepare for the tournament, but is now expected to do so next year.

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