Barcelona’s struggles are far from over, but the club’s operations with regard to expanding its infrastructure have begun on a smooth note.
Board members of the Catalonia based club led by Joan Laporta recently approved project ‘Espai Barca’ – an ambitious scheme that entails $1.7 billion worth of renovation of the iconic Camp Nou stadium.
And though some fans are critical and decrying the gigantic expenditure involved, new CGI images have surfaced online, revealing the engineering marvel Camp Nou would be in the future.
Despite being Europe’s largest stadium with a capacity of 99,354, a revamped Camp Nou will be a 105,000-seater stadium.
The stadium roof will also undergo renovation, though its iconic wide terraces are reported to remain intact.
A retractable roof infused with 30,000 square metres of solar panels is in the offing; the energy in turn powering 360-degree screens running the entire length of the stadium’s interior.
Not only that, but the project also encompasses the modernisation of complexes and buildings in the adjacent vicinity. This includes facilities such as the Palau Blaugrana, Campus Barça and the training ground, Estadi Johan Cruyff.
The redevelopment designs, conceptualized by Japanese architecture firm Nikken Sekkei, were revealed years ago as far back as 2016. But owing to political turmoil in Catalonia, coupled with the COVID pandemic, the project continued to remain in the pipeline.
With Sunday’s referendum ending in approval of the project, fans can now expect a steadfast approach to Camp Nou’s regeneration.
But with concerns surrounding the massive economic outlay, especially considering Barcelona’s gross debt which amounts to around €1.5bn, it’d be interesting to see how things work out for the Blaugrana.
