The Qatar World Cup stadium that hosted Brazil’s 4-1 drubbing of South Korea is now set to be demolished.
Stadium 974 was built specifically for the World Cup and hosted seven matches over the course of the tournament. The 40,000 seater’s unique name originates from Qatar’s international dialling code.
But more importantly, it refers to the number of recycled shipping containers used to build it. The stadium was designed in an effort to be more economical and avoid leaving behind an unused stadium after the World Cup concludes – the likes of which we have seen previously in South Africa, Brazil and Russia .
And having now served its purpose as the first ever temporary World Cup arena, Qatari organisers are set to dismantle it.
974’s eye-catching design used multi-coloured shipping containers as building blocks, which also house restrooms and formed the internal structure, giving the stadium an industrial feel. The venue is also the only one constructed for the World Cup which isn’t air conditioned and therefore only hosted evening matches.
Qatar is yet to reveal exactly where the stadium’s parts will go post-tournament, though organisers suggest it could be used to build multiple smaller stadiums in the future.
According to The Associated Press, environment watchdog group Carbon Market Watch have said that Stadium 974’s lower carbon footprint will depend on “how many times and how far the stadium is transported and reassembled.” Estimates suggest emissions will be lower than a permanent stadium if it is to only be reused once and shipped fewer than 7,000km.
Karim Elgendy, who previously worked as a climate consultant for the Qatar World Cup, said: “Designing for disassembly is one of the main principles of sustainable building. It allows for the natural restoration of a building site or its reuse for another function.”
The stadium will be missed by fans not only for its fascinating purpose and appearance, but also the memories created on its turf during its short duration. It saw a stunning 21 goals in seven matches, averaging three-per-game – including five in its final fixture as Brazil brought the carnival vibes with their celebrations.
