Populous boss slams world cup air-con
John Barrow, Director at Populous
Plans for air conditioned stadiums ‘unsustainable’
Populous director John Barrow has branded plans to air-condition stadiums at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar “too expensive” and “unsustainable” on a large scale.
The architect who helped design the 47,000-capacity air-conditioned Sports City arena for the tournament, has proposed creating shading and using wind towers to suck up hot air.
The ability to cool stadiums during the summer desert heat was one of the key reasons Qatar won the bid to stage the World Cup in 2022.
“We are doing away with all the air-conditioning kit that is going to cost a fortune to run,” Barrow said.
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Readers' comments (3)
It's a ridiculous place to hold the world cup in the first place.
I wonder if there is any truth in the rumors that Qatar are currently working with UK engineers to develop a bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2026?
The Winter Olympics bid rumour is well sourced.