There’s no two ways about it. The 2022 Qatar World Cup is a disaster. The topic is one that we’ve payed close attention to here at The18, especially the human working conditions, which are pretty much akin to modern day slavery. According to the International Trade Union, an estimated 4,000 people will die building the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup given the current rate of on-the-job deaths, and it seems like no one is doing anything about it.
Two architects have released a proposal for a memorial to honor those who lose their lives in order to make this World Cup happen. In no way will the memorial itself save lives, but it could bring awareness to an issue that really isn’t getting the attention it deserves. The proposal is completely conceptual, as Qatar would unlikely pay for a memorial that shows the world just how bad their transgressions are.
The concept of the building is dedicating an entire stone block to each worker that dies while working on the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The structure would consistently be under construction with a permanent crane in the middle to add new beams. Here are some photos from the creators, 1Week1Project
1Week1Project is a spontaneous architecture agency that operates with one rule: to offer spontaneous and free projects that translate emotion into physical reality. Well, they succeeded because this project may be the one eye-opening idea that makes people realize how bad things are in Qatar. According to the organization, if the death rate doesn’t decrease, the memorial could reach a mile high.
That said, apparently FIFA doesn't care much about what going on in Qatar. Sepp Blatter has even said that the workers were enjoying “better conditions” thanks to the World Cup.
WHAT?
Most of the workforce is from India and Nepal and, upon their arrival, the workers lose their passports and pretty much their lives. They live in awful conditions and work in heat that nobody should be working in. Cardiac arrest among workers has skyrocketed since the construction began, and Qatar clearly won’t do anything about it.
The memorial is a great idea, it's just a shame that it most likely won’t ever be built.
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