(This updates a 2011 post on ASEE’s eGFI for Students blog about an artificial cloud-covered stadium proposed for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.)

Qatar, a small country on the Arabian Penninsula that will host the 2022 World Cup, is not known for its mild summers. In fact, temperatures in July regularly average over 115 degrees F (50 degrees C), which presents a serious challenge to the event’s organizers.

But not to fear – engineers from Qatar University’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering came up with a clever solution back in 2011. They planned to develop an artificial cloud to hover over the soccer stadium and provide crucial shade to players and audience members.

The cloud was to be made out of lightweight carbon fiber material and kept in the air by four solar-powered motors as well as pockets of helium. The whole remote-controlled apparatus would be able to adjust its angle as the sun progresses throughout the day.

Costing about $500,000, according to Wired, the cloud could still keep the crowd sweating. Associate professor Saud Ghani tells CNN it would lower temperatures by about 10 degrees. But Qatar plans to cool the stadiums further with solar-powered air conditioning.

Fast forward and Qatar has opened several new stadiums – none with artificial clouds, but all with state-of-the-art climate control:

For a closer look at Lusail Stadium, one of the stunning, eco-friendly venues planned for 2022, watch these construction videos:

Filed under: Special Features

Tags: artificial cloud, Civil Engineering, climate control, Engineering Design, qatar 2020 World Cup Stadium, soccer stadium