Glenn Katz- Design Inspirations:
- “Stadium 974” in Qatar
The Stadium 974 is one of the hosting stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Its innovative design made it the first ever venue that can be “recycled” for other use purposes in the future. The stadium was made from 974 recycling shipping containers and the entirety of the stadium can be dismantled with ease and be contributed as one of the stadiums for the next FIFA World Cup or large sporting events.
A drastic contrast to this stadium is the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that was also a hosting stadium for the 2014 World Cup.
Despite its large capacity and the glorious days for hosting the Final with football fans from all over the world, it is now unfortunately, a “ghost” stadium due to the lack of sporting events that are equivalent in scale to the World Cup, which subsequently led to lack of maintenance and disrepair.
- Design Ideas:
- Ability to re-purpose (Sustainability)
As shown in the examples above, the construction of one of those stadiums requires a tremendous amount of money and resources, especially a stadium capable to accommodate upwards of 90,000 audience during large sporting events. However, it is not uncommon that those stadiums were solely built for the World Cup that usually lasts around a month, and remained idle in the majority of the time for the rest of their lives. I believe that the “reusable” design for Stadium 974 should not only be applied for sporting arenas but also be referred as an example for buildings and other infrastructures, so that such structure can be re-developed for other purposes or serves its original intended purpose else where it is more needed, in the event of not being able to maximize its full use potential.
- Design Inspirations & IDEA:
- Energy Efficient Designs & Modular Construction
On top of the first idea of the capability to be conveniently repurposed, I believe the building should be able to adopt the methodology of modular construction to expedite construction progress and mitigate waste of resources. (Time & Money, two of the biggest concerning factors in the construction industry)
Additionally, each modular unit should be designed in an energy efficient manner so that each household will be able to contribute their efforts to reduce energy use and collectively mitigate climate crisis. Overall, the biggest emphasis of my design is sustainability. As it is said, “There is only one Earth and certain amount of resources, it is up to us to make the best use of them for our survival.”