In the sea of poison surrounding Qatar 2022, it is difficult if not outright impossible to find a little drop of water. It exists however.

Some innovative and little known fact is that the Ras Abu Aboud Stadium near the port of Doha has been built using modular shipping containers, which beforehand have been used to transport further building material to the construction site. Its modular construction allows for the stadium to be dismantled, relocated and reused after the tournament – not necessarily as one entity but also in several smaller ones. It is built of 974 containers, which is also the country’s dialing code. It has received a five star rating (out of six) from the GSAS, the Global Sustainability Assessment System,[1] a body that rates and certificates green building and infrastructure across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) with regard to design, construction and operations of the structure. The stadium is built so that no artificial ventilation is necessary, which is also aided by the proximity to the sea. Finally, the use of concrete is linked with a high output of CO2. Re-using shipping containers has thus reduced the carbon footprint of this particular stadium. It is the first re-usable stadium in FIFA World Cup history and a point that needs highlighting but sadly is buried in an ocean of other more serious and pressing issues surrounding FIFA and Qatar.[2]


[1] The Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) was developed in 2007 by the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD) in collaboration with the TC Chan Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the School of Architecture at the Georgia Tech Research Institute.
[2] Crook, L., Demountable stadium built with shipping containers reaches completion in Qatar, Dezeen, 24 November 2021; accessed 25 November 2022.

© image credit: the image used for this post originates from the What’s going on – Qatar website.

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