The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy has awarded HBK Contracting Company the enabling works contract for Al Wakrah stadium, the first proposed host venue to be delivered ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The contract was awarded through a tender process designed to attract Qatari contractors with local knowledge and proven capability in delivering the required services, as part of the Supreme Committee’s legacy initiative to develop the private sector.

The enabling works phase begins in May and is due for completion by around March 2015. During this period, HBK will deliver bulk earthworks including site clearance, excavation and disposal, fill, as well as underground services and stadium foundations. The foundation works will be marked by a ceremony in September.

The main construction company for the stadium will be announced at the end of 2014. The successful candidate for this tender will partner with a local business, in line with the Supreme Committee’s effort to boost the expansion of the Qatar economy.

“We are excited to announce the next stage of works for Al Wakrah Stadium and look forward to continued progress on the ground this year,” said Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy. “The stadium and surrounding precinct will leave a social legacy in Al Wakrah and by appointing HBK, a Qatari company, we aim to also contribute to the economic legacy of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.”

H.E. Sheikh Ali Bin Hamad K. Al-Thani, President of HBK, said: “We are honoured and excited to be appointed by the Supreme Committee as the contractor for this critical first phase of works on the road to the FIFA World Cup in 2022, and look forward to working closely with all stakeholders to help build the first World Cup in the Middle East and achieve our country’s ambitions.  We thank the Supreme Committee for giving us this opportunity to be involved in this most celebrated journey.”

The 40,000-seat stadium, future home of Al Wakrah Sports Club, was the first of Qatar’s FIFA World Cup proposed venues to be revealed. The stadium will be surrounded by approximately 560,000 m2 (60-hectare) of legacy precinct with a new sports centre and community hub. The precinct will deliver a range of community facilities, including a park, mosque, school, hotel, wedding hall, vocational training centre and retail outlets. 

Following the tournament, the stadium’s capacity will be reduced to 20,000 with the extra modular seats removed, re-configured and donated to countries in need of sporting infrastructure, in consultation with FIFA and the continental football confederations.

After an initial inspection during the tendering process of the facility where the HBK workers on the Al Wakrah project will be housed, HBK confirmed their commitment to adhere to the Supreme Committee's Workers’ Welfare Standards, working closely with representatives of the Workers’ Welfare Committee to ensure that the health, safety and dignity of workers on the project are further protected.

Farah Al-Muftah, Chairwoman of the Workers’ Welfare Committee, said: “We started a dialogue with HBK on our expectation for workers welfare during the tendering process and we are encouraged by the company’s commitment to creating a healthy and safe environment for workers on the Al Wakrah Stadium project.”

HOST CITY: How does the design of Al Wakrah stadium fulfil obligations to FIFA?

Al Khater: Throughout the design process, the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has been working with AECOM and Zaha Hadid Architects to ensure all of FIFA’s stadium requirements, from bowl design to seating capacity, are fulfilled.

Al Wakrah Stadium’s concept design was developed to exceed FIFA’s requirements while remaining consistent with Qatar’s existing and future sports infrastructure needs.

HOST CITY: What will happen to the elements of the modular design that are to be removed after the World Cup?

Al Khater: Many of our stadia will include demountable grandstands. Those stadia will be downsized after the 2022 FIFA World Cup to ensure that Qatar is left with venues that are fit for purpose. Approximately 170,000 seats will be donated to countries in need of sporting infrastructure, which will be determined in conjunction with FIFA and the continental football confederations.

HOST CITY: How does the design of Al Wakrah enable it to act as a community hub?

Al Khater: Our plans are fully inclusive. We have listened to the community’s needs and taken into consideration their desires in the stadium and precinct plans and will continue to do so throughout stadium construction. As a reflection of these needs, the Al Wakrah Stadium Precinct will include:

• Two FIFA-compliant training pitches fully cooled to an optimal 26 degrees Celsius.
• A multi-purpose indoor arena incorporating two indoor halls and four tennis courts Two basketball courts and associated support facilities.
• A four-star business hotel with 150 rooms to support Al Wakr h as a fledging business hub.
• 5,000-10,000 sq m retail space available to Qatari entrepreneurs to incubate SMEs.
• A hospitality vocational training centre to train-up the local and regional youth, who will welcome the world to Qatar in 2022 and form the fabric of a Middle Eastern event management industry.
• An international school for 1,000 pupils incorporating a 400m running track 

HOST CITY: The 2022 FIFA World Cup is currently scheduled to take place in the summer. How will the stadium create a comfortable experience for players and fans?

Al Khater: The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee and teams of international climate control experts have developed environmentally-friendly outdoor cooling technologies and strategies to be deployed at stadiums, training sites, fan zones and other areas where fans, team delegations, match officials, media representatives and the FIFA family will congregate.