FCC Construcción's project to renovate the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium has won the 2025 ACHE Award in the “building structure” category. The jury highlighted the complex envelope and the new retractable roof, which represent a project of great structural innovation. The award was presented at the 9th ACHE Congress, held in Granada. 

Architecturally, the renovation aims to provide the stadium with the spaces and features necessary for the development of the new business model. Among the spaces created, we can highlight the new museum, a 360º walkway at the top of the façade (skywalk), new press areas, VIP areas and improved boxes, large catering areas with six specific spaces for top-class restaurants and a large ‘food market’ area on the Padre Damián side.
To improve logistics for all these new areas, the stadium is being equipped with a new gallery under the stands and service lifts that allow goods to be accessed without disrupting the running of the stadium itself. The venue is also being equipped with the latest technology, including a spectacular 360º video scoreboard with a high-definition LED screen measuring over 3,000 m².

The aim is also to refurbish the stadium itself to expand its possible uses, making it independent of external weather conditions. This involves the creation of a complete envelope made of stainless steel slats, which gives the stadium its new look, including a fixed roof that covers the entire footprint of the stands. The roof is completed with one of the project's major innovations, a retractable roof that allows the stadium to be completely closed at will.
The flexibility of use of the facility is completed with the creation of the Hypogeum, an underground greenhouse that allows the turf to be installed and removed at will, so that the pitch can be used for different sports and other activities.

The construction of the stadium stands out for its engineering, both in terms of the innovative proposals and the development of the work itself. The construction challenge faced by FCC Construcción consisted of implementing all these major improvements, which involved significant structural work, with the additional requirement from the client that the functioning of the stadium should not be significantly affected, allowing matches to be played with the maximum possible capacity at all times. This required the application of techniques more typical of large civil engineering works than conventional building works, making it necessary to develop innovative processes and designs for their execution.

Among the actions carried out, there are a number that stand out for their complexity or innovation. These include the fixed roof structure, the retractable roof, the new West Building and the metal envelope.

A renovation of a sports infrastructure that is unique in the world.