Al Sadd Stadium was part of a major sports infrastructure programme in Qatar, which took place both in preparation for the 2006 Asian Games, and also as part of the country's US$15bn "tourism masterplan."
Audience Systems was approached by the Qatar National Olympic Committee (QNOC) to supply the seating for the one of the major new sports venues, the 13,500 seat Al Sadd Stadium. The stadium was to be the first specified and built by the QNOC and as such was to be a premier venue, and a benchmark for future sports facilities. Members of the committee had recently visited the nearby Al Sadd Sports Hall, where Audience Systems had installed retractable seating, and had been impressed by what they saw.
Designing the Outdoor Seating
Audience Systems worked with members of the committee to design outdoor chairs to a high specification both in terms of appearance and spectator comfort. The climate placed special demands on the seating, with chairs required to withstand extremely high UV levels, heat, salt and Qatar's 80% humidity.
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Specially adapted Alpha Centurion chairs were chosen for the majority of seats in the stadium. In the VIP areas, Espace 618 chairs with upholstered, watertight seat and back pads were used. A high density polyethylene, specially adapted to withstand intense sunlight, was used for the chairs' seats and backs. The chairs comply with rigorous Californian UV resistance standards despite the use of the colour black - the most difficult colour to make resistant to UV radiation. The chair's metalwork was treated with a exceptionally weather-resistant outdoor finish, which is used by both Mercedes and Ford in the manufacture of their vehicles.
Manufactured on an extremely tight schedule and installed in intense heat, the seating installation was complete in 2004, comfortably in time for the start of the games.
