Santiago Bernabeu Stadium refurbishment

What is the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Reform like?

After a total investment of 256 million euros since 2000, the Board of Directors of Real Madrid, headed by Florentino Pérez decided, taking advantage of the stadium's privileged location, to promote an ambitious renovation project with a double objective: to transform the Santiago Bernabéu into a world icon of sports architecture and to convert it into one of the club's main sources of direct income, which will allow it, in the future, to continue to compete financially with clubs owned by large private capital owners.

santiago bernabeu stadium

In order to carry out this proposal, an International Architecture Competition was held in 2012, in which 4 teams of great prestige from around the world participated: one formed by the studios of Herzog & de Meuron and Rafael Moneo; another composed of Foster and Partners and Rafael de la Hoz; a third comprising the teams of Populous and Estudio Lamela; and a fourth formed by GMP Architekten, L35 and Ribas & Ribaswhose proposal was announced as the winning project on 31 January 2014.

santiago bernabeu stadium night photo

Finally, on 31 May 2017, Madrid City Council gave the green light to the refurbishment by approving the Special Plan for the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. After approving the reparcelling project, the sustainable mobility plan and the urban development project, the club awarded the refurbishment works to the construction company FCC Construccioneswhich finally started in June 2019.6

Daytime view of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium

Now that the refurbishment has been completed, the Santiago Bernabéu has the following new features and innovations:

  • A enveloping façade formed by curved stainless steel sheets that reflect the light in a changing way and that adapts to the needs of the new tertiary programme, growing or retracting without losing its unity. This envelope incorporates technological and audiovisual elements that are illuminated in different colours and designs depending on the occasion.

 

  • A fixed cover of 28 000 m² and a retractable cover of 8000 m² allowing the stadium to be used every day of the year, regardless of weather conditions. The retractable roof consists of 12 movable trusses and inflatable cushions made of a double layer of fluoropolymer-coated PTFE fabric membrane, which are illuminated by LEDs when deployed. The opening and closing process takes between 15 and 20 minutes. 

 

  • A automated pitch system which allows the stadium to become a multifunctional space, suitable for concerts, conventions, trade fairs and various sporting events. The field is divided into six 107 metre x 11.67 metre trays, each weighing approximately 1500 tonnes. These trays are moved and stored in an underground greenhouse called the Hypogeum, using 24 transport trolleys. The whole process of moving and storing the pitch takes about 6 hours. The HypogeumThe greenhouse, located on the side of the stadium, has a depth of 30 metres and the trays are stacked one on top of the other by means of a hydraulic lifting system. This greenhouse is equipped with ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, control and irrigation systems, ensuring optimal conditions for turf conservation and facilitating access for ongoing maintenance without interfering with stadium events. The significant fact about this pitch removal and maintenance system, compared to other existing systems, is that it takes place entirely within the perimeter of the stadium, without the need to occupy external spaces. This particularity makes this system a unique engineering work in the world.

 

  • A 360-degree video scoreboardsuspended from the roof that surrounds the entire perimeter of the pitch, the first of its kind in a European stadium. With a height of 6.5 metres at the sides and corners, and 11 metres at the back, its screens have an 8-degree inclination, forming a truncated cone instead of a cylinder, giving it a unique design in the world. This video scoreboard has a 13HD pixel resolution, offering excellent image clarity and contrast from any seat. In addition, it can display a large image or multiple content zones simultaneously, including live video, instant replays, statistics, graphics, animations and sponsorship messages. Ten large screens have also been installed at the rear to provide content and information to spectators in the upper tiers. This is complemented by the installation of an LED ring in the first amphitheatre.

 

  • The Skywalk 360. This is a walkway that runs along the highest part of the stadium, offering impressive views of the interior and the city of Madrid. Open all year round, it is notable for housing a luxury sushi restaurant and the Skybar, a VIP restaurant located on the side of the Castellana. This luxurious 700 m² space, with two terraces of 250 m² each, fuses football, gastronomy and entertainment. With more than 400 m² of screens, the design is dynamic and changing, making each visit unique. During matches, the Skybar operates as a VIP "super-palace" with 200 seats, and its avant-garde design aspires to be a global benchmark. Inspired by traditional Madrid culture, it blends bars, lights and architecture with technological and dynamic elements. It is divided into four main areas: catering and disco at the ends, a large central bar with a wraparound wine rack, and VIP stands and boxes for privacy and views of the pitch.

 

  • A underground logistics ring which allows loading and unloading operations to take place underground, thus avoiding the occupation of public space. In addition, a trolley tunnel connected to the loading and unloading circuit has been set up to allow trucks and large vehicles to access the pitch via a mobile grandstand.

 

  • A new grandstand on the east side with capacity for 3000 spectators. The construction of the fourth east side amphitheatre partly compensates for the loss of seats resulting from the new stadium layout, which has increased the space and comfort of some seats. In addition, all the seats in the stadium have been replaced by navy blue folding seats.
    An increase in the number of places for people with reduced mobility, the elimination of architectural barriers, the creation of new, more comfortable accesses and the installation of new mechanised communications, thus achieving a substantial improvement in the accessibility of the entire stadium.

 

  • New leisure areas, VIP areas, restaurants and entertainment for the general public. Highlights include the extension of the Museum and the creation of a second interactive museum, as well as the construction of an official Megastore and the creation of the Bernabéu Market, a 3,000 m² gourmet gastronomic market located in the new Sagrados Corazones square. This market has 25 gastronomic proposals and recreates an urban atmosphere inspired by areas of Tokyo or Hong Kong, with stalls that combine stone bars and metal structures. The market is open all year round, but on match days, one section is reserved for Real Madrid guests, while the rest continues to operate normally.
    Redevelopment and landscaping of 66,700 m² around the stadium, including the creation of a large square of more than 20,000 m² on the Paseo de la Castellana and another of 5,500 m² in the new Plaza de Sagrados Corazones, which occupies the site of the former shopping centre.

 

  • La Bernabeu corner in Padre Damián.

 

  • In addition, Rafael Salgado Street has been pedestrianised and a five-storey underground car park with more than 500 parking spaces has been built in Sagrados Corazones Square.

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Madrid
Deportivo

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