The Santiago Bernabéu, with its retractable turf system developed by Sener, the best stadium in the world according to the World Football Summit

The Santiago Bernabéu stadium, which retractable turf system has been developed by the engineering and technology group Sener, has been chosen as the best stadium in the world during the World Football Summit, the main international event for the football industry and held annually by the organisation of the same name, bringing together the most influential professionals in the sector.

The award recognises, among other aspects, the set of technological achievements and innovations that the stadium incorporates, as well as its “ambitious vision of redefining not only the panorama of sports stadiums, but also the cultural and economic fabric of Madrid”. Among these innovations, the construction of a state-of-the-art retractable pitch with an underground greenhouse stands out. Sener has contributed to the achievement of this milestone by developing and implementing a version adapted to the Santiago Bernabéu of Hypogea®, the innovative retractable grass system developed entirely by Sener architects and engineers. Hypogea allows the removal and maintenance of natural grass in stadiums quickly, safely and automatically using a set of mechanisms that reposition and move the trays into which the playing field is divided, taking advantage of its space for non-sporting events and integrating advanced grass conservation systems.

Hypogea allows each of the longitudinal trays into which the natural grass playing field is divided to be removed from its central position in the stadium to a lateral underground chamber where it can be maintained for long periods of time, allowing all kinds of alternative events to football to be held at any time of the year.

With Hypogea, stadiums will be transformed into fully multifunctional and versatile spaces, with the capacity to host all kinds of shows, from concerts, conventions, fairs and even all kinds of alternative sporting events to the main one. This flexibility allows the original spirit of stadiums as urban centres to be recovered, providing them with cutting-edge capabilities and technology, to facilitate their function transcending mere sporting use.