Investigation of the impact of roof configurations on the wind and thermal environment in football stadiums in hot climates

Abstract

he present study provides an analysis of existing literature encompassing the wind and thermal analysis of football stadia, and how both can be manipulated through the modification of roof geometry. It introduces the potential for cooling strategies to create an internal environment capable of hosting elite-level international football in a hot climate. The motivation for the study stems from an absence of existing literature focussing on thermal flow in hot conditions for stadia and the requirement to investigate the hosting capabilities of Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Stadium design plays a crucial role in determining the success of the tournament not only through the month-long event, but also with the legacy it leaves afterwards. To carry out the analysis, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted in an effort to produce internal conditions that satisfy official FIFA guidelines on optimal playing conditions in terms of wind and temperature distribution. These are ran on a model validated against existing literature to ensure accuracy, but considering the potential for error between model generations. The conclusions drawn suggest that a downward-pitched, large-radius retractable roof subsidised by the introduction of a mechanical system to create a cooling strategy reduces the external temperature down to 23ºC, with wind velocities not exceeding 4m/s. Reinforced by results, these desired playing conditions can be achieved by closing the roof to precondition the stadium before an event, with the roof then retracted to ensure compliance with FIFA guidelines. The results from the present study can be a component in achieving a sustained positive legacy for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

A Wind Protection Design Strategy for Airport Terminal Door Bucket Space Based on Wind Environment Simulations

“…For example, Yang [15] evaluated the ventilation effects of high and low side windows in gymnasiums in severe cold areas based on two indicators, comprising ventilation volume and air age. Bonser et al [3] evaluated the effects of opening and closing the roof of a stadium on the indoor wind environment based on the ground level of the playing field in the stadium, as well as the magnitude of the wind speed in the stands. Moreover, Nguyen and Reiter [1] investigated the effects of six different roof shapes, including curved and conical roof shapes, on indoor natural ventilation based on the airflow pathways and wind speeds.…”

“…Nguyen and Reiter [1] and Vanhooff and Blocken [2] conducted studies on airflow using the CFD software Phoenics. Bonser et al [3] used CFD to simulate the wind and heat environments inside a football stadium. Zheng et al [4] applied CFD to explore the influence of vent shapes on the wind pressure ventilation in a gymnasium, analyzing the effects from various perspectives, including air intake, airflow depth, and wind speed in key functional areas.…”

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“…Research on soccer match analysis has been ongoing since the late 1990s when the importance of match analysis was raised, for example, regarding the development and application of technology for more sophisticated analysis or proposing analysis results from different perspectives using recorded items utilized for specific match analysis factors (Delibas et al, 2019;Stein et al, 2019;Wu et al, 2019;Sheng et al, 2021). In addition, research related to stadium construction based on construction engineering to overcome environmental factors was a topic that confirms the scope of science and technology in soccer (Llarena et al, 2018;Bonser et al, 2020). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the clusters in the topic area were reduced, and only one topic was clustered with keywords that had different meanings than before the pandemic.…”

Service quality in football tourism: an evaluation model based on online reviews and data envelopment analysis with linguistic distribution assessments

“…This field’s relevant research may be divided into functional and service management streams. Studies focusing on the functional attributes of sports facilities utilize technical approaches to evaluate specific building services management characteristics such as air quality (Bunds et al, 2019 ; Silva & Ricketts, 2016 ), thermal condition (Bonser et al, 2020 ; Losi et al, 2021 ), and heating energy consumption (Bonser et al, 2020 ; Sofotasiou et al, 2014 ). Sports facilities’ technical performance was evaluated using engineering investigations (such as computer simulations and physical measurements) in these studies, often undertaken from a financial or environmental aspect.…”