Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium (Lekhwiya Stadium)

Lekhwiya Sports Stadium. The new Doha stadium par excellence

Doha, Qatar

Perkins Eastman, in collaboration with Al Khayyat Contracting & Development, were the architects behind Qatar’s new stadium: the Lekhwiya Sports Stadium. This is the stadium of Qatar’s first team, the Lekhwiya Club, and stands out because of its size and its clean, functional design. The stadium forms part of a sports complex that will also include other amenities, making Doha the sport capital, especially with a view to its hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022. When finished, the complex will consist of entertainment areas and other facilities, as well as a hotel and mosque, occupying a total area of 700,000 sq.m.

General Information

• Name: Lekhwiya Sports Stadium
• Location: Doha, Qatar
• Architects: Perkins Eastman
• Contractor: Khayyat Contracting & Trading
• Consultant: Engineering Consultants Group
• Total Area: 15.000 m²
• Seating capacity: 10.000
• Product: Stadium TP, TOP 5036, Megaseat 9110, Megaseat 9113, Royale 6400
• Photography: Juliette Sawyer

Challenges and solutions

The design of the new stadium showcases the cultural distinctiveness of Doha and Qatar. It had to be a stadium that could be identified with the club and its followers, and that could adapt to the variety of purposes it will have for offering patrons different experiences. The seats had to be adapted to each different area and use. Besides the general stands, it has two storeys given over to VIP areas, press room and other facilities normally found in any first-division stadium, as well as the Lounge for the Emir and his companions. One of the greatest challenges of this project was finding the appropriate model for each area and maintaining optimal visibility throughout the whole stadium.

Product supplied

The stands are fitted out with the Stadium TP sport model in different finishes, made to suit stands of differing height according to zone. To ensure that all the seats had a height of 450 mm, some are beam-mounted and others are on risers-mounted. The seat colours – white, maroon and grey – are alternated for an optimum dynamic effect. The exterior press area was equipped with the comfortable TOP 5036, the same model as that used in the exterior VIP area. This is the appropriate model for a between-stands space of no more than 840 mm.

The stadium has VIP seating, where the occupants will be seated in the ample Megaseat 9110, a simple, spacious, top quality armchair finished in leather. In this case, the recline angle of each seat back had to be modified by 4° in order to ensure optimal viewing. The Royal Lounge for the Emir is fitted out with various Royale 6400 armchairs, which are extraordinarily comfortable. This is one of Figueras’s most select seats, with headrest and optional automatic reclining backrest and footrest. The Megaseat 9113 armchair, with headrest, was chosen for the substitution benches. Finally, the press conference area was equipped with an elegant, compact model, the Flex 6036, together with the F45 table, to give journalists comfortable workstations for when they are interviewing team members. The armchairs for the interviewees have an exclusive RT system which rotates 360º, allowing free-flowing communication.