AFL designs new King Abdullah stadium

Article posted by Coliseum, January 9^th, 2025

Image: AFL Architects

AFL Architects has signalled its involvement in designing the new King Abdullah Economic City Stadium (KAEC) in Saudi Arabia.

The new venue is one of the 15 proposed host stadiums for the FIFA World Cup 2034™ in the Kingdom.

The FIFA World Cup 2034™ will be the 25th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament contested by the men’s national teams of the member-associations of FIFA. It is set to be hosted in Saudi Arabia as it was the only nation to submit a bid in time for FIFA’s deadline of October 31^st, 2023.

AFL said its work on the KAEC Stadium involved site analysis and selection, designing an 800,000+ square meters masterplan, and a new 45,700 capacity stadium concept.

The stadium scored highly in the technical review of all 15 stadiums in the FIFA World Cup 2034™ bid evaluation report.

Concept – The Reef Stadium

For the concept, AFL said it took inspiration from the heat-resilient super-coral in the Red Sea. Much like a thriving reef ecosystem, the stadium design embraces organic forms, vibrant colours, and sustainable practices.

Image: AFL Architects

The envisioned stadium, a testament to the city’s forward-thinking approach, stands as a beacon of economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, and community integration.

The stadium has been designed with a demountable upper tier to cater to a variety of events post tournament.

The stadium façade incorporates an adaptable visual experience with feature lighting on the lower tier façade to alter the ambiance to enhance the fan experience. The upper tier façade enables projection mapping to cater to different event formats.

AFL said that embodying the core principles of the city’s planning guidelines, this cutting-edge facility not only promises to elevate the region’s sporting landscape but also seeks to foster a harmonious balance between progress and responsible development.

From innovative energy-efficient systems to the integration of green spaces, every aspect of the stadium’s design prioritizes the conservation of resources and the reduction of ecological footprint.

Image: AFL Architects

By embracing renewable energy sources and implementing eco-friendly practices, the stadium minimizes its environmental impact and sets a pioneering example for sustainable infrastructure development within the region.

Sustainable legacy

The stadium looks to serve as a multi-purpose entertainment venue at the heart of the King Abdullah Economic City development. The stadium precinct will be open to the community to facilitate connections with nature and will create long-lasting legacy benefits to the local community.

The masterplan includes plans for vibrant experiential mixed-use neighbourhoods that include retail outlets, sports facilities, a leisure quarter with cinema, cultural hub, hotels and residential dwellings.

The designs allow for a number of environmental sustainability measures to be incorporated including: disassembly, reuse and recycling; Low flow fixtures and greywater recycling; designed to achieve the equivalent of LEED Gold.

AFL Architects has designed overlay legacy options for multiple events including concerts, e-sports, boxing and to host the Saudi Women’s Premier League Stadium.

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