The engineering legacy of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™: the gahfiya-shaped Al Thumama Stadium

The structures of the Al Thumama Stadium could be categorised into four main building components: The permanent bowl structure with the lower and middle tiers are mainly cast-in-place reinforced concrete with precast seating units. Structural steel is utilised for the upper tier stands which is to be dismantled for legacy conversion after FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 (TM). The roof and facade system utilises steel and cable systems with a unique membrane cladding design derived from the cultural gahfiya symbol. The roof is a self-anchored tension-compression ring system based on the principle of a horizontal spoked wheel with one compression ring along the outer perimeter and two tension rings along the oculus. The facade consists of lightweight double-layered and pre-stressed cable nets spanning between curved vertical beams. A translucent PTFE coated fibreglass membrane with highly transparent mesh inserts form the cladding of the stadium and provide its unique architectural design. This article gives an overview of the entire building structure design and construction methodology.