Al Ain stadium nominated for award

Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, which opened in December 2013, has been nominated for the 2014 Stadium of the Year award.

Hazza bin Zayed Stadium at night. Courtesy: Seven Media
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The UAE’s most modern arena, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, is the first in the country to be nominated for the Stadium of the Year award.

HBZ Stadium is one of 31 sports venues nominated for the award, which is run by StadiumDB.com, the state news agency Wam reported.

"This stadium truly stands out, not only in the Emirates, but among all modern stadiums – even those planned for the future," said Grzegorz Kaliciak, founder of StadiumDB.com.

Mr Kaliciak praised the seating layout of the stadium and its sunroof. He said the facility, delivered by Pattern Architects, combined British design with German engineering.

It was specifically designed to handle harsh weather conditions, with shading, ventilation and cool hospitality facilities.

“It’s very likely to become a model for stadia built in this kind of climate conditions,” Mr Kaliciak said.

The stadium, which opened in December 2013, cost US$168.6 million (Dh619.3m) and took 18 months to build.

People from around the world can vote online through StadiumDB.com. A separate vote is run by the competition jury, consisting of architects from five countries. The winner will be announced on February 19.

Previous winners include Aviva Stadium, Ireland (2010), PGE Arena Gdansk, Poland (2011), Gremio Arena, Brazil (2012) and Ghelamco Arena, Belgium (2013).

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