Architecture practice Perkins + Will have revealed new details about the stadium they’re building in Al Aweer, Dubai, which will be the largest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Mohammed bin Rashid Stadium was approved earlier this year by UAE prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, but detailed images and information about the project have only just been released.

Currently in the planning and design phase, the FIFA-compliant 60,000 capacity stadium will take the form of an elevated structure encased in a diagrid bowl, with the playing field elevated 60ft (18m) above an entry plaza below.

The stadium, which will have an open-tensile roof, will be available for use all year-round. It will have an architectural skin that allows for airflow while blocking out unwanted sand and sun. Meanwhile courtyard water elements beneath the stadium will create a natural thermal sink that cools the air, and a landscape design that uses trees and vegetation to block hot wind while providing shade.

According to the architects “the inspiration for the design stems from the desire to create a stadium like no other that draws from regional precedents while providing a sustainable and visionary destination for Dubai.”

Perkins + Will are designing the stadium as part of a wider mixed-use development that will include training facilities, a practice pitch and warm up areas, a museum, a multi-purpose sports hall, shops, restaurants, a public plaza and a 5,000-space car park. The total site will cover an area of 120,000sq m (1.3 million sq ft).

The project is part of Dubai’s “Sports Innovation Lab” initiative and a government-backed policy to increase the emirate’s profile as a global sports destination. The reported cost of the project is AED3bn (US$817m €731m, £631.5m). Dar Al-Handasah is lead consultant.

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