[ Architecture ]
[ Architecture ]
open-air venue to a fully enclosed, climate-controlled arena. This capability ensures that events can proceed uninterrupted by sudden rain storms and take place even in Madrid’ s blistering hot summers or surprisingly chilly winters.
A disappearing pitch The second major improvement was the retractable pitch, which can move the entire playing surface below ground for concerts and other events. Similar systems in other stadia slide the pitch sideways to an adjacent, external area for storage. However, Bernabéu’ s location in a dense urban environment made this impossible. The only available storage space was directly beneath the stadium itself. This constraint demanded a far more complex, vertically stored solution. The natural grass pitch is divided into six massive longitudinal trays. One by one, they are moved horizontally on rails to the western edge of the stadium. A system of hydraulic lifts then lowers each 1,500-tonne tray into a deep subterranean chamber. This 30-metre-deep storage chamber, known as the“ Hypogeum,” acts as a multi-level greenhouse. It is designed to maintain the natural turf in pristine
Preassembled sections of the 6 × 6 meter main girders were lifted into place using a crawler crane. Photo: Dreamstime.
condition for the periods that it is in storage. Each pitch tray is housed on its own level, and the facility is equipped with an array of agronomic systems, including climate control, automated irrigation and fertigation systems, and powerful LED grow lights that replicate natural sunlight. This allows the pitch to remain at a world-class playing standard while stored underground.
A silver screen façade The final element of the renovation is the striking new exterior, which covers the stadium’ s original brutalist concrete structure. The design wraps the old stadium in a single continuous enclosure composed of thousands of V-shaped stainless steel slats. The intent was to unify its appearance in a futuristic architectural expression.
The flowing stainless steel façade brings coherence to a stadium expanded in many phases over decades, transforming the Santiago Bernabéu stadium into a“ sparkling” Madrid landmark. Photo: Dreamstime.
42 Stainless Steel World June 2026 www. stainless-steel-world. net