Al Thumama Stadium: Local and Global Architectural Reach

The world cup stadia have been a constant concern for the hosting countries. Many of them have become a burden on the economies of their countries, only to become white elephants after the tournaments end. Therefore, the core mission of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy in Qatar was to ensure that the World Cup Stadiums are built with a legacy and to remain functional in the long run, not just as facilities, but as cultural icons. Such efforts have promoted the exercise of stadia building in Qatar as a positive and unique experience. As a firm, we, at Arab Engineering Bureau, are honored to be part of the effort all through the making of Al Thumama Stadium, which will be discussed in this paper. Instead of a white elephant, Al Thumama Stadium is arguably a symbol of the local identity that will become part of the World Cup legacy, whilst being a state-of-the-art facility that plays a vital role in development of its surrounding neighborhood.