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The iconic Madrid facility transformed into an innovative mixed-use structure open 7 days a week. The project includes the redevelopment of the surrounding urban area
When you think of European sporting excellence, the great soccer clubs probably spring to mind. And then there are all those other famous sporting clubs that have always dominated national and continental championships. Probably one of the most famous and successful sports clubs of all time is Real Madrid. Today a recognized brand, Real has a history and tradition of victories and financial power.
Based in the Spanish capital, Real is involved in basketball, rugby, five-a-side soccer, and women’s soccer. But its flagship is the men’s soccer team. Los Blancos is recognized worldwide as the best team on the planet, with its fans spanning the globe. Real Madrid has won 36 Spanish titles, 20 Copa del Rey titles, and a record 15 UEFA Champions League cups.
Elite teams deserve a great setting in which to perform, and Santiago Bernabéu Stadium has long been recognized for its beauty, historic importance, and stunning dimensions. Named after the legendary player, coach, and club president from the early 1900s, the stadium has hosted some of the greatest champions in the history of world soccer.
When the most ambitious clubs need to update and modernize, it is, of course, necessary that their traditions are respected as much as possible.
Los Blancos continue to win on the field with impressive regularity. Although superstars of the game, Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti’s charges are also a very young group.
Real Madrid has continued to invest both in the sport and its image. Emblematic of this is the restyling of Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, which began in 2019 with L35 Architects. For a short period – which coincided with, among other things, the pandemic – the club moved to the smaller Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium, the home ground of Real’s B team. Ancelotti’s boys later returned to Bernabéu while construction was still under way. Now that the renovation and modernization works have been completed, Real Madrid is enjoying this freshly polished jewel.
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is in the Chamartín neighborhood, in the heart of the city, close to Avenida de Concha Espina, one of Madrid’s most important streets. This impressive structure has dominated the local urban fabric since December 14, 1947, the day of its inauguration. Since then, the surrounding area has developed, while the stadium has become one of the most powerful symbols of the city and taken on special significance for soccer lovers.
Following a string of renovations to increase capacity (it originally had seating for 75 thousand) and update the facility, the current renovation began in June 2012, with L35 Architects, in collaboration with GMP and Ribas & Ribas, developing the design proposal that won the competition conducted by Real Madrid.
While respecting its origins and traditions, the new stadium is keenly focused on innovation and the public use of the facility throughout the year. Equipped with a retractable pitch and a retractable roof, which opens and closes in just 15 minutes, this is much more than a football stadium: it’s a hi-tech structure designed to host many different kinds of event, from concerts to tennis matches, exhibitions, and conferences. Once the turf has been retracted, other surfaces can be installed, and the field can be divided into sections. In this way, a basketball match can be played on the parquet surface at the same time as a tennis match is taking place on another surface.
The field itself is made up of platforms on rails that can be moved underneath the playing surface within a 35 m deep underground space with air-conditioning and artificial lighting. The turf can therefore be moved to a protected environment, where it can be watered and maintained.
The project also involved the redevelopment of the surrounding neighborhood, including upgrading services and, in general, the usability and accessibility of the area for Madrid’s athletes. In fact, sidewalks, streets, and all sports, commercial, and recreational services have been improved.
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is a true icon of Madrid that welcomes millions of tourists every year. For this reason, the restyling focused on upgrading the amenities of both the stadium and all the surrounding socio-cultural activities. The facility will operate 365 days a year and 24 hours a day, with it never being left unused between matches.
A highlight of the project was the creation of a modern main entrance. Previously, the stadium had 57 doors, but none of them functioned as a main entrance. On the eastern Avenida Castellanata side of the stadium – that is, the street that crosses Avenida de Concha Espina – a plaza was leveled to build a main entrance beneath the large cantilever of the new façade. The result is a public entrance with real visual impact.
On the western side, a new plaza has been constructed in front of Plaza de los Sagrados Corazones, which serves as a forecourt to the stadium’s other main entrance. In this plaza, the architects created underground parking. The job involved the addition of earth mounds with the triple function of camouflaging the access ramps, hiding ventilation shafts among the vegetation, and creating a green wall in the center of the plaza. This has transformed the area into a new public space that’s protected from the surrounding traffic and can host events or simply be used as meeting point for fans before matches.
From the earliest design sketches, the architects had in mind a flexible façade able to adapt to everything going on inside. The result features asymmetrical and fluid geometries with a striking appearance. This is a dynamic façade that not only changes its appearance as people walk through the stadium, but also as the changing light is reflected off its curved surfaces, giving passers-by an ever-new perception of the building.
The shape of its envelope also adapts to the needs of the new program, expanding or retracting without losing its unity. Rather than approaching it as an airtight barrier, the architects saw the envelope as a steel “skin” that’s permeable and light, with openings that allow the circulation of light and air to provide the natural ventilation needed for the pedestrian concourses inside. The quality of the steel also means that goings-on outside the stadium are reflected inside, this helping its integration into its urban setting.
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Location: Madrid, Spain
Completion: 2024
Architect: L35 Architects
Client: Real Madrid
Main Contractor: FCC
Consultants
MEP: Aguilera Ingeniería
Landscape: Porras La Casta Arquitectos
Building Surveyor: AYESA
Lighting: Lichtvision, LDC
Facade: ARUP, INASUS
Structural: LAC Consultores de Estructuras,INES Ingenieros, SBP
Construction Management: VADA10
BIM: Modelical
Phography by Miguel de Guzmán, courtesy of L35 Architects
