The government of Qatar is spending as much as US$500m (€467m, £399m) a week on infrastructure ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to the emirate’s finance minister. Ali Sharif El-Emadi told journalists on Tuesday that the weekly investment “will carry on for the next three to four years to achieve our goal and objective of really getting the country ready for 2022.” While nine stadiums are being built

FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) must “take the lead” on stadium sustainability to make the hosting of events less prohibitive, according to the architect behind the Commonwealth Games 2022 masterplan. Talking to CLAD, Ruben Reddy said building huge stadiums for one-off events was a large burden on the taxpayer, particularly in developing countries where “priority lists are quite long”. He stressed that major sporting events should be “global

The International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS) has planned an “unprecedented sharing of expertise, insight and discussion” on the design, development and operation of leisure centres and swimming pools this week. International architects, engineers, government officials and leisure centre operators will converge in Dublin from 9-10 February to discuss topics such as state of the art sports facility design, creating sustainability, future-proofing and encouraging inclusion. Facilities used as

Lord’s Cricket Ground has become the first purpose-built cricket stadium in Britain to run on 100 per cent renewable energy. As part of the sustainability strategy devised by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) – the owner of Lord’s – the ground has met its 2020 emissions target already and reduced its electricity consumption by seven per cent since 2010. The ground’s new Warner Stand – which will be complete in April

French architecture studios Sockeel and Olgga have joined forces to revamp the stadium of football club ULS Dunkerque into a beautiful and accessible facility for the community in the historic beach town. The duo have won a design competition for the “demolition and reconstruction” project, which will see the aging Stade Marcel-Tribut re-designed and expanded by 2,000 seats to hold 5,000 spectators. Work will begin in September 2017 when the

US National Football League (NFL) franchise the Green Bay Packers has revealed it is nearing completion on the first phase of its very own sports-anchored leisure district. The club has selected sports architects Rossetti to masterplan the 34 acre Titletown District – located just west of its 81,400-capacity Lambeau Field stadium – with a design strategy focused on “the vibrancy of the public realm,” particularly on match days. Designed as

Dutch design agency NorthernLight is working on the redevelopment of Sochi’s Olympic Vilage, which is turning its former media centre from the 2014 Winter Olympics into a science and art park. The redevelopment of Sirius Park, which has been at the heart of Russia’s talent development programme, will take place in two phases, ultimately becoming the country’s largest educational attraction at 50,000sq m (538,000sq ft). Phase one of development will

St Louis could become home to a purpose-built 20,000-capacity soccer stadium after a Missouri-based consortium official submitted a bid for the city to host a Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion franchise. According to the group – SC STL – the HOK-designed stadium would “complete one of the great corridors of sport, culture and entertainment”. The venue is earmarked to be situated within one mile of the Busch Stadium and Ballpark

The football association of Turkey has lifted the lid the country’s huge stadium-building drive, and how it can help the nation win the right to host the world’s biggest tournaments. Eighteen modern grounds have been constructed in the country since 2007, with a further 12 to open in the next few years and several set for completion in 2017. This is the result of a concerted push by the government

St Moritz’s Kulm Eispavillon – which hosted the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics – has been restored by architecture firm Foster + Partners. After being abandoned for several years, the building has now been regenerated to host sporting events, as well as other functions. In February 2017, the venue is due to accommodate the medal ceremonies at the Ski World Championships, which are being hosted in the Swiss town. It

The ambitious mission of global sports architects Populous to turbocharge China’s footballing infrastructure has taken another step forward with the announcement of what will be one of the country’s biggest and best training facilities. Two years of research and planning has gone into the project, which will be located in Gu’an County, Hebei Province and used by Chinese Super League club Hebei China Fortune (CFFC) for its first team, reserves

Global architecture firm HOK have been appointed to design a permanent new home for US soccer franchise Louisville City FC. HOK will provide the vision for a 10,000-seat stadium in Kentucky’s largest city that could later expand in capacity to 20,000. The overall site plan will also include space for an office and retail development. “We’re getting closer to securing a lot in urban Louisville, and now we’re thinking about

National sporting infrastructure in Ireland has received a major boost with the delivery of the €41m (US$44m, £35m) National Indoor Arena in Dublin, which will be officially opened today (26 January). Located within the wider National Sports Campus, the new 44,500sqm (479,000sq ft) facility can accommodate 1,900 spectators and host 20 multi-disciplinary sports. It includes an internationally certified running track and training hub for athletics, a gymnastics centre, a 12

Redevelopment of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the iconic home of Spanish football club Real Madrid, looks set to begin in the summer. Tristan Lopez Chicheri, managing partner at architecture firm L35, which is working on the €400m (US$429.5, £344.7m) project, confirmed the timescale in an interview with Spanish sports newspaper Marca. He revealed work will take place during off-season periods to reduce disruption to the club’s sporting schedule, with the

The relocation of American football franchise San Diego Chargers to Los Angeles could pave the way for the construction of a Major League Soccer (MLS) stadium in the city. An investment group led by the ex-vice chair of telecommunications company Qualcomm Steve Altman and FS Investors founder Mike Stone have put together a proposal to bring a soccer franchise to the south Californian city, and build a 40,000-seat stadium on

Danish architects EFFEKT will convert an abandoned windmill factory in the city of Viborg into a vibrant culture house for street sports, street culture and street art. The studio have won a design competition for the project, which will be the second of their buildings to carry the ‘Streetmekka’ name. Last year they completed GAME Streetmekka in Esbjerg – an urban sports hub in a converted rail depot. In Viborg

Copenhagen architects EFFEKT have today (20 January) won planning permission to build a 45m (147.6ft) spiralling observation tower in a preserved Danish forest. Located in Gisselfeld Klosters Skove, one hour south of the capital, the structure will be part of Camp Adventure, an existing sports facility with tree top climbing paths and aerial zip lines. The tower will link to the rest of the attraction via a connected walkway leading

The architect masterminding a new home for English football team Tottenham Hotspur – billed by the Premier League club as “the most unique sports and entertainment destination in Europe” – has lifted the lid on how the stadium will create an important hub for the local community. Speaking to CLAD during a tour of the construction site, Christopher Lee, managing director of stadium architects Populous, said the key driver of

The foundation stone has been laid for the “world’s biggest cricket stadium” in the city of Ahmedabad, India. The unnamed ground and its surrounding landscape will reportedly cover an area of 63 acres in the Montera locality, with the city’s previous cricketing venue – the 49,000-capacity Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium – razed to make way. Sports architects Populous are overseeing the project. The firm previously designed Melbourne Cricket Ground –

Organisers of the Los Angeles Olympic bid for 2024 cemented the sustainability credentials of the project, confirming that only existing, already planned, or temporary venues will be used should they be successful. LA 2024’s committee revealed the venues for archery, modern pentathlon and mountain biking, with all three taking place in planned of existing facilities. Archery will take place in the LA Stadium and Entertainment District at Hollywood Park, which

The opening of the hotly-anticipated Bristol Arena will be delayed by two years after the relationship between the main contractor and the council broke down over cost. According to a statement made by Bristol City Council, the local authority and Bouygues UK decided to “part ways” as a “price cannot be reached”. Last April, it was revealed that the Populous-designed venue – which is going to be used for sport

US Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise Los Angeles FC have released new images of their forthcoming stadium, designed by architects and engineers Gensler. The images reveal new perspectives of the Banc of California Stadium, and particularly its semi-transparent curving roof, which will make the building an instantly recognisable landmark for driver’s passing on the adjacent freeway. Ground was broken on the US$250m (€234.8m, £204.5m) project in August 2016, and construction

Premier League football club Chelsea has seen its application to build a new £500m (US$614.6m, €585.3m) stadium approved by the local council. The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham have give the green light to the structure, which will be built on the site of the club’s current Stamford Bridge ground. Herzog & de Meuron – the architect behind the innovative Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, which was used for Euro

Soeters Van Eldonk will oversee a “large-scale renovation project” of the Amsterdam ArenA, which will innovate with energy by using repurposed car batteries as a back-up system. The home to Ajax – the most famous and successful Dutch football team – will undergo its most ambitious revamp since it opened in 1996 as part of its Project ArenA 2020 strategy. Project ArenA 2020 will occur in three stages. The first

The architecture firm behind Minnesota Vikings’ US$1.1bn (£905.9m, €1bn) US Bank Stadium has been appointed by Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise the Texas Rangers to design a new ballpark. HKS will develop a design for the venue to include a retractable roof for climate control. It will also have a capacity of 42,000, down from the 50,000 spectators Texas Rangers’ can accommodate at its current Globe Life stadium, with fans

The plan to demolish Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge ground and replace it with a 60,000-capacity stadium has received a recommendation by planning officers. A 300-plus page document delivering the recommendation said the stadium would be a “high quality development, which would make a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the local area”. Architects Herzog & de Meuron were credited with developing a “high quality piece of design” and

Everton FC’s quest to build a modern new stadium is making “solid progress on many fronts”, supporters were told by the club’s executive board. During Everton’s annual general meeting (AGM), chief executive Robert Elstone revealed that design work, viability studies for transport and planning, and an “evidence-based” business plan had all been completed. Elstone said that while there were “significant remaining issues” to resolve, everyone was “optimistic about the new