Qatar’s upcoming Al Rayyan World Cup stadium has been awarded Stadium Design of the Year by some of the world’s top sporting facilities experts this week.

The honor was given to tournament organizers the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SCDL) at the 2016 World Stadium Congress, which wraps up today.

In a statement about the award, the stadium’s project manager Abdulla Al Fehani said:

“(It’s) a reconfirmation of our commitment to excellence in creating innovative designs which incorporate the culture, heritage and needs of the local community.”

The 40,000-seat facility was designed by UK-based Ramboll and Pattern and takes inspiration from Qatar’s desert sand dunes.

It is being built for the 2022 World Cup on the site of the now-deconstructed Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium.

Design change

Qatar’s initial plans called for the facility to be redeveloped, but it was torn down instead.

The original vision for Al Rayyan Stadium showed the facility wrapped in a massive digital display board that would show scores, photographs and other information.

However, that was later replaced with renderings that described the venue as having soft corners and undulating waves that draw on Islamic geometric influences.

The same theme can also been seen in the facade of Qatar’s iconic Burj Qatar building in West Bay/Dafna.

Officials previously said the stadium will have seven distinct motifs: Shield, desert rose, chain, nut heart, banana spiral, palm tree and bridal ring patterns that “unify” to form one design.

Elsewhere in the sporting complex, structures meant to resemble the sand dunes that surround traditional desert tents will flank the stadium and host multi-functional hospitality and service areas.

Nearby facilities will include the Al Rayyan Doha Metro link, located five minutes from the currently under-construction Mall of Qatar and a new branch of the ultra-modern sports medicine hospital, Aspetar.

Construction of Al Rayyan Stadium is expected to be completed in 2019.

Thoughts?