Summary
Lucy Zodion works with local Qatar partners to overcome environmental challenges and power an iconic Football stadium in the World Cup 2022.
Anyone who watched England Vs Wales in the Group stage of the Qatar World cup will have been treated to the spectacle that is the Al Rayyan Stadium.
The Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, popularly called Al Rayyan Stadium, officially opened in 2020 and was one of the venues utilised for the Qatar World Cup 2022.
Located in Umm Al Afaei, west of central Doha, the Stadium hosted 45,032 spectators using specially designed modular elements to form an upper tier which will be downsized to nearly 20,000 seats after the tournament.
Lucy Zodion worked with its local Qatar partner, professional services provider, Influx Services and Trading, to find an in-ground power distribution solution that could perform in the extreme Qatar climate.
Feeding energy to lighting and other assets, power distribution solutions have a modest yet vital job in assisting the way an International Stadium works.
As with this project, every power distribution requirement is different, meaning there is never a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution. One constant is the need for safe and secure enclosures built to the highest standard for optimum longevity and performance.
Our brief here, was simple. The customer required 52 in-ground pillars and provided the team with ten design options.
Solution
Lucy Zodion bespoke in-ground power units are designed to host an array of features in an extremely robust structure that can be concealed when not in use. Power is accessible and readily available from ground to socket in seconds, and, once completely upright, the tower is secure for prolonged outdoor use.
David Hall, Lucy Zodion commented, “We had never manufactured this pillar design before, and the client had precise requirements.
The final solution was constructed from 5mm steel, painted, with a back-to-back design, to increase the available equipment install area while keeping the overall footprint to a minimum.
The Qatar environment and climate presented several challenges for the design team to overcome, from possible sand ingress to the extreme ambient temperature.
Rated IP65
David Hall, Lucy Zodion, continues, “To overcome our biggest challenges, we included two double doors. An inner set for mounting control buttons, switches etc. and outer doors to provide the IP65-rated seal and minimise the ingress of sand. We tried several different seals on the doors before we were confident, we had the best solution.”
Internally the units were divided into a power and control section on the left-hand side and an I.T section on the other with a mesh divider in between to allow forced airflow around the equipment.
Furthermore, the I.T. section had an adjustable racking system designed to fit 17″ or 19″ servers to provide the customer with maximum flexibility in equipment use.
Maintaining a cool temperature
The pillars were a welded, unvented design to enable the client to mount air conditioning units on the side due to the high ambient temperature.
The design team produced a canopy slightly larger than the pillar footprint, which sits 6″ above the roof, helping deflect and dissipate some heat before it hits the pillar.
To aid the on-site installation team, the design included a gland plate with removable sections to allow them to drill the plates before installation.
Results
Moizuddin Mohammed, Sales and Business Development, Influx Services and Trading, commented, “It was an unusual design that pushed all of us out of our comfort zone, but we were delighted to hear that the customer was impressed with our quality and workmanship.”
