Welcome to the Al Wakrah Stadium, also playfully dubbed the “Vagina Stadium” due to its distinctive design resembling female genitalia. Situated in Qatar, this small Emirati gas giant, the stadium’s construction is set to be completed in 2018, and its unconventional design has garnered attention.
The stadium’s shape has prompted Internet users to draw parallels with female anatomy, raising questions about whether Qatar intentionally paid a unique tribute to women by dedicating one of the venues for the 2022 World Cup to them.
Officially, the architects from the AECOM company, in collaboration with Zaha Hadid Architects, explained that the design was inspired by a traditional boat, the dhow. However, public perception leans more towards the blossoming shape, evoking a symbolism closer to fertility than maritime inspiration.
Despite the initial surprise and the internet buzz around the “Vagina Stadium,” some observers see it as unintentional yet significant, suggesting that it unintentionally contributes to challenging conventional architectural norms and bringing a unique perspective to the global architectural landscape.
While Qatar has been in the spotlight for its treatment of construction site workers, the stadium’s unintended association with feminism adds a layer to the country’s image. The “Vagina Stadium” has sparked discussions about architectural symbolism, joining the ranks of famous structures with more overt phallic shapes, such as the Tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower, or Big Ben. As a British journalist from The Guardian remarked, “After all, why wouldn’t we have 45,000 people crammed into a female reproductive machine? It’s not like we’ve never experienced this.”
