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World Cup 2022: SC names Al Balagh Trading & Contracting and L&T as main contractors
SC.qa
DOHA
The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) announced on Monday that Qatari contractor, Al Balagh Trading & Contracting, and India's biggest construction firm, Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T), have been appointed as the main contractors to build the 40,000 seater Al Rayyan Stadium.
News of the main contractor coming on board at Al Rayyan Stadium, a venue that will host games up to the quarter-finals at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, demonstrates the project's continued progress and follows the completion of excavation works and training grounds last month.
The Qatari-Indian joint-venture was made official at a signing ceremony at Al Bidda tower that was attended by a number of senior officials at the SC, and Al Balagh Trading & Contracting and L&T Qatar. The main contractor's scope includes main works and construction of the site, following the completion of enabling works.
"With the main contractor coming on board today, this marks an important milestone in our progress and preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup," said Hassan al Thawadi, SC Secretary-General.
"The impact of this stadium and its surrounding precinct will be felt long before the stadium is finished in 2019, with the recently completed outdoor training pitches set to be used by the current QSL Champions, Al Rayyan Club, for their upcoming Qatar Stars League season. We are confident that Al Rayyan Stadium will become a landmark for the area and benefit the entire community from now until long after the last ball is kicked in 2022."
Engineer Hilal al Kuwari, Chairman of the Technical Delivery Office at the SC, added:"We look forward to working with Qatari contractor, Al Balagh, and the renowned L&T, on such an important and exciting project. The appointment of a local company in this joint venture is in line with our promise of contributing to the economic legacy for Qatar post 2022."
Sherida Saad Jubran al Kaabi, Chairman of Al Balagh said:"The award of Main Construction works for Al Rayyan Stadium and Precinct to Al Balagh, a 100% Qatari company along with its joint venture partner, L & T, is a great honour and recognition."
"It is a matter of immense pride for us at Larsen & Toubro Limited, along with our joint venture partner Al Balagh, to have been given the responsibility to design and build the Al Rayyan Stadium and Precinct in preparation for the historic first Middle Eastern FIFA World Cup in 2022. We are extremely mindful of the trust and confidence given to us by the Supreme Committee for constructing this stadium and it will be our endeavour to deliver a masterpiece," said Dr. Jens Huckfeldt, Chief Executive, L&T Qatar.
The Al Rayyan Stadium design, which was launched in a ceremony last year at an event attended by over 500 guests from the club and the community, is inspired by local patterns and dune-like structures, which resemble the sand dunes that surround traditional desert tents.
"Al Rayyan Stadium will become a landmark loved by the fans of the club that will celebrate the iconic design and inspiration of Qatari culture and heritage," said Engineer Yasir al Jamal, Vice-Chairman of the Technical Delivery Office at the SC.
"The stadium and precinct will become a pivotal part of the community hub."
The SC will deliver the new 40,000-seater Al Rayyan Stadium, designed by Ramboll and Pattern, in 2019. Post tournament the stadium will accommodate 20,000 seats and will be the home for Al Rayyan Sports Club.
Safety achievements
The site has achieved over 1.3 million man hours without Lost Time Incidents (LTI). The milestone was marked recently with an awards ceremony which featured construction workers from the companies and contractors involved in the SC project prior to awarding main contractor, including Bin Omran, Nakheel, Ramboll, Manco International and AECOM.
"Safety is always our top priority and we are constantly working to make sure that the highest safety and security practices are in place for any task that is carried out on site," said Abdulla al Fehani, SC Project Manager of Al Rayyan Stadium.
Safety days and awards ceremonies are held on a regular basis across all SC project sites as a top priority is placed on ensuring a safe and secure working environment for all those building the stadiums and facilities for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.
Training Sites Completed
For the new season current QSL champions Al Rayyan Sports Club will be moving in to the new training facilities built by the SC, in order to allow the club to continue with their operations until the stadium is completed in 2019.
"The training pitches are advancing rapidly and will be ready to be used for the new season, we are looking to hand them over by August 2016," said Fehani.
"In order to make sure that Al Rayyan has purpose made training facilities even during the construction of the stadium, we consulted the club and have built the facilities according to their requirements."
Award Winning
The SC was awarded the Stadium Design of the Year award for Al Rayyan Stadium at the 2016 World Stadium Congress in Doha earlier this month.
Speaking at the function, Fehani said:"We are creating not just a sports stadium for one of Qatar's best supported sides, but also a community hub which will be used on a daily basis by the wider community in this area. We believe that this innovative approach is also encapsulated in the design of this stadium."
Al Rayyan Stadium is the fifth stadium design to be launched by the SC, following Al Wakrah Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium Al Khor City, Khalifa International Stadium and Qatar Foundation Stadium, all in different stages of construction. The SC will also launch the designs of Lusail Stadium, Ras Abu Aboud Stadium and Al Thumama Stadium within the upcoming year and officially launch the completed Khalifa International Stadium in early 2017.
All construction on infrastructure for the 2022 FIFA World Cup is slated to be completed by 2020, two years prior to the tournament.
