King Abdullah Sports Oasis

Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Client: Zuhair Fayez Partnership

Sector: Leisure and Sports, Master Plans

Cost: Confidential

Status: Concept for funding

Developed in association with the Zuhair Fayez Partnership, the King Abdullah Stadium and Sports Oasis is conceived as a 24/7 national and international sports and leisure destination. It is a place where people live, study, work, pray and play. Situated close to the eastern edge of the King Abdul-Aziz International Airport, it is ideally located to provide the city of Jeddah, a major business centre, with a world-class facility on the doorstep of the most important transit point for the millions of pilgrims who arrive each year on their way to Mecca and Medina for the Hajj and Umrah Festivals.

The King Abdullah Stadium will be a world class sporting venue. It is proposed that the stadium can operate in football or athletics modes, staging national and international sporting events. Using state-of-the-art technology with retractable seating and a hydraulic-lift pitch, the stadium can smoothly convert between modes, providing an 80,000 seat football venue and a 70,000 seat athletics venue and allowing fans to be close to the games and fully enjoy the atmosphere of major sporting events.

Special consideration has been given to creating a comfortable environment in a challenging climate. The stadium will harness the power of the sun’s rays to provide a cool environment for players and fans by converting solar energy into electricity that can be used to cool both fans and players in the stadium.

When games are not taking place, the photovoltaic panel installations will export energy into the grid. During matches, the stadia will draw energy from the grid. Within the stadium a thermal modifier system will deliver cool air under the seats, allowing events to take place during the warmer periods of the year.

The proposed 142 hectare development, approximately 3,000 metres long by 500 metres wide, will be phased in two stages. Phase 1 includes the main sports infrastructure with an 80,000 seat world class dual-purpose football and athletics stadium and associated training facilities to the south of the site. Mirroring this to the North will be a sports and leisure complex comprising a 15,000 seat multi-use indoor arena, an 8,000 seat aquatics centre, media, entertainment and leisure facilities nestled around a lake, and landscaped gardens creating a vibrant new destination for Jeddah residents and visitors, and those using Jeddah as a gateway to other destinations. Phase 2 involves the creation of the 'sports village' central urban hub which will provide a rich mix of additional sports, sports technology, research, educational, medical and civic facilities, affordable housing and hotel facilities. The village will also provide a diverse range of family-orientated entertainment, leisure and retail facilities. Central to this will be a grand mosque, public squares and gardens for events.

The King Abdullah Stadium and Sports Oasis is planned as a unique legacy and family destination, a stage for national and global sporting events with best-in-class facilities, and a national centre to promote health and education, delivering excellence for generations to come.