Qatar is building a full Airport City, capable of housing 200,000 people for their preparations!
Please read the article posted by Conde Nast Traveller on the controversial 2022 World Cup hosts & what the extremes they are taking to be prepared.
CITY IN THE SAND
By Laura Fowler
A whole new desert city has been planned for Qatar, in the Middle East, and Rem Koolhaas is the masterplanner. Airport City will be built adjoining Doha airport in time for the World Cup 2022.
Koolhaas's global architectural firm, OMA, plans to create a 'green spine' branching off into a network of parks and gardens around residential space to house 200,000 people (that's about the size of Plymouth), as well as high-end shops and restaurants. And, surrounding it all, a 'Desert Park'.
The full-blown construction, 10km2 of it, is expected to take around 30 years, but they aim to complete the first phase by 2022, ready to receive tourists flying in for the football. Airport City will be right on the seafront of this little Middle Eastern country, which sticks out like a peninsular into the Persian Gulf; and the Doha Bay Marina will be part of it.
Still, we're not expecting Riviera-style beach clubs quite just yet (and not just because of the proximity to the international airport - which is the first in the world to have an entire terminal dedicated solely to first-class passengers). Swimwear still a contentious issue here, to say the least, for both men and women. Likewise alcohol - another reason why Qatar is a controversial choice for World Cup host. Dry, figuratively and literally: the tournament traditionally takes place in the summer months when daytime temperatures in Qatar average up to 38ºC and it never rains at all from May to September.
But there are solutions offering some respite from the heat, with entirely air-conditioned, shaded streets being planned. There has even been talk, by the government, of creating a man-made cloud that will float above the stadia. Is this what they mean by climate change?
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