The pharaonic work of remodeling the Santiago Bernabéu stadium has picked up an unstoppable pace this summer, taking advantage of the fact that it will not host official Real Madrid matches until September. Work has intensified on all four sides, with up to 400 simultaneous lines of action.
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Despite the intense activity, the merengue stadium will not be 100% ready until the summer of 2023. Started in 2019, Florentino Pérez’s idea was for the works to finish by the end of 2022, coinciding with the 72nd anniversary of its inauguration, the December 14th. Nevertheless,
The project has just entered its final stretch, perhaps its most colorful phase. The workers have just installed the first stainless steel slats on the south end façade, which will be responsible for the futuristic appearance of the white coliseum. It is expected that during these months a large surface of the two bottoms, the south and the north, will be covered. Dates ago, slats had also been mounted on some parts of the roof.
First steel slats in the south end (capture from YouTuber Javier Caireta’s channel)
Greenhouse and retractable lawn
But beyond the irruption of the ‘skin’ of the new Bernabéu, with regard to the exterior, progress continues in the east building, on which there will be a new stand, in the fourth amphitheater. On the Castellana side, the three levels of the museum beam are already being forged, also raised recently, and which, as its name suggests, will house the new museum.
Inside, they work against the clock on the mechanism of the . During these days, the rails and the six portable trays are being assembled on the pitch. For its part, it is expected that by the end of summer the hydraulic systems, responsible for raising and lowering the trays, will be ready.
At the same time, the lower east stand, the Castellana stand, is being rebuilt, although a sector of the northeast end has had to be demolished to build a greenhouse vent, as detailed on the website, focused on the development of the works.
Image of the interior of the greenhouse where the grass trays will be stored (www.realmadrid.com)
Changing rooms and VIP areas
This summer is also being used to completely renew the changing rooms and the boxes and VIP areas. All these works will have to be ready by September 4, the date on which Real Madrid will once again play at home in the League, against Betis, on matchday four. By then, a continuous banner (marker) should be mounted in the first amphitheater, very similar to that of the Metropolitan.
Thus, although the final drawing of the stadium is already outlined, there is still a lot of work ahead. It is believed that during the break for the World Cup in Qatar, the roof could be finished off with the installation of retractable lattices, and who knows if the 360º video scoreboard. Simultaneously with the competition, the skywalk will be completed, which will host several restaurants.
We will have to wait until mid-2023 for Florentino’s dream to come true. A dream to which he has allocated around 800 million euros. The objective? That the new Bernabéu be an icon of the 21st century, and in which all kinds of mass events are hosted, from football or basketball games, to concerts and fairs.
Assembly work for the retractable grass trays (www.realmadrid.com)