For many, Qatar is synonymous with extreme heat, but spectators at the 2022 World Cup may feel a little chilly in stadiums equipped with the latest climate control systems which, according to its creator, will be the “norm” of the future.
Saud Abdulaziz Abdulghani has worked for 13 years to develop this technology, which he believes is “the most sustainable possible” and should protect players from injuries, help maintain the quality of the grass and reduce or reduce body odors in the stands.
Temperatures in Qatar can reach 50 degrees in summer. This was one of the reasons why the selection of the country to host the World Cup, announced by the International Football Association Board in 2010, caused controversy. However, the tournament will take place between November and December.
Although the weather is milder at the end of the year, seven of the eight stadiums that will host World Cup matches are air-conditioned.
The air-conditioned stadiums are nothing new, but the system Ghani has developed is “40% more sustainable than current technologies,” according to World Cup organizers.
The professor, who is from Sudan and has an academic background in the UK, believes that “in the future, for the safety of the players, air-conditioned stadiums will become the norm,” especially given the 2024 World Cup and the countries that must compete in the tournament to be hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada.
“Is the idea really appropriate from an environmental point of view? Air conditioning in the stadiums is powered by solar panels and has the best thermal insulation and the best sensors to use the correct doses of energy in each area, so there is no redundancy,” the expert defends.
“There is no reason not to have air conditioning in stadiums when there is heating in other stadiums,” says Pierre Ferret, architect of the modern Pierre Moroy stadium in Lille, France.
“It also depends on how the air conditioning works. If it’s done with gas or oil, it’s not the best. PV panels are better,” explains Ferret.
“I have no doubts that the technology will work,” says Russell Somore, president of BASIS, the British Federation for Sustainable Sports.
Seymour is more concerned with the “message being delivered” of air conditioning in an open environment, at a time when energy savings are required.
“In offices, for example, people often like to open the windows to freshen the air, but without turning off the air conditioning,” he recalls.
For the World Cup, every stadium is different and so is its climate. In the stands for 40,000 spectators at Al Janoub Stadium, which will host seven matches, Professor Ghani describes the system.
The flat shape of the structure prevents wind from entering and allows the formation of a cooled air bubble of about 21 degrees, dehumidified and purified, through small ventilation holes placed under the seats, as well as larger bubbles placed next to the field of the match.
This air “creates a layer about two meters high above the terraces, which goes down and cuts the grass and returns to the terraces,” the engineer explained.
“Then, a portion of the cold air is taken out, purified, and cooled again (by coming into contact with very cold water that circulates through a closed tube, like a car radiator system) and then sent” to the stands and onto the field, with intensity adjustable in each area depending on exposure to the sun. for example.
In this way, Al Janoub Stadium does not need cooling until two hours before the match in order to be fully air-conditioned.
Ghani is calling on experts to verify his environmental promises and claiming that the technology has not been patented, making it usable for free around the world, not just in sports arenas.
The system was also used in an open-air shopping mall in Doha and also on a farm in Qatar.
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