Al-Awwal Park – stadium description

Construction work on the campus of King Saud University in western Riyadh were launched in the spring of 2011 and expected to end within 24 months. However, despite the stadium being structurally ready in 2014, opening only took place in May of 2015.

Entirety of design and construction work was commissioned to Hashem Contracting Company, who delivered the stadium along specifications (and FIFA rules for international games) within the budget of 215 million riyals ($57m). Clad with perforated and metallic outer skin, the stadium may seem gold or soil-brown depending on sunlight. Only the west side differs with a simple main building having a different outer cladding.

Structurally the stands are simple and have a very standard layout creating a uniform single ring around the field. Although, it should be mentioned it’s still one of the first large football-specific stadia across the country. The stands are primarily built with concrete cast on site, topped with precast steps.

The audience area with roughly 22,000 seats is topped by rhythmic concrete ‘ribs’ that give support to a rather delicate, thin steel truss system. The roof is slightly bent over the main grandstand (west), emphasizing its central role with a lavish presidential suite on top. The roof doesn’t cover all seats as there is no need for rain protection. Selected roof size provides decent sunlight access to the field and gives support to artificial lighting.