LUSAIL Stadium, Qatar’s biggest sporting venue, will host this year’s FIFA World Cup final. It’s the first time a Chinese company served as a main contractor to build a FIFA World Cup pitch. The golden bowl-shaped 80,000-seat capacity venue was built by China Railway Construction Corp Ltd. (CRCC). Located in Lusail, some 20 kilometers north of Qatar’s capital Doha, the stadium was completed in 2020 after 40 months of construction. The venue will stage 10 matches during the World Cup. With high temperatures and humidity in Qatar, coupled with exacting building standards, construction of the stadium has not been easy. State-owned CRCC said more than 7,000 people from China and abroad worked for the project. CRCC cooperated with more than 20 third-party enterprises, such as U.K. company AFL and multinational firm Aurecon. CRCC has formed strategic partnerships with these enterprises in the areas of design, steel structures, membrane materials and electromechanical equipment among others, it said. “The successful building of the stadium is another important milestone in CRCC’s effort to expand in the overseas market,” said Zhuo Lei, president of China Railway Construction Corp (International). The venue is one of the most environmentally friendly stadiums globally. Sustainable building practices were applied throughout its construction. The building process has saved about 40% of freshwater consumption compared with the industry average. For instance, workers collected, recycled and reused rainwater, and they also used desalinated seawater, and recycled water was used to irrigate plants around the stadium. The project planned the locations of large cameras, media platforms and seats for audiences reasonably by simulating the temperatures, humidity and air velocity in the stadium. The building process was also in compliance with the requirements of FIFA, said Hameed Otaibi, a Jordanian engineer who helped install equipment at the stadium. Leonidas Tzevelekas, a Greek engineer who followed through the project, said that thanks to advanced digital technologies provided by the Chinese companies, he and his colleagues have been able to accurately control the building process and limit errors within millimeters. (China Daily) | 