While Brazilian stadiums take weeks to change the turf, the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid stores six trays of 1,500 tons in less than five hours and transforms the field into a stage, increasing revenue and event capacity.

Written by Flavia Marinho

Published on 25/05/2026 at 18:00

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The natural turf of the Santiago Bernabéu is protected in underground trays, allowing shows, matches, and events without compromising quality and expanding the stadium’s use

The Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid has adopted an innovative system that protects the natural turf in six trays of 1,500 tons each. This solution allows the stadium to be transformed into a venue for shows, conventions, and football matches without damaging the grass, keeping the field in perfect condition even when not in use.

The technology increases the flexibility and revenue of the stadium, as each tray is automatically moved to an underground chamber that controls ventilation, irrigation, lighting, and drainage, ensuring the turf remains healthy during the transition between events.

What is Hypogea

Hypogea is a retractable system that divides the field into movable trays capable of being transported laterally and vertically. Each tray reaches the underground chamber equipped with full maintenance to keep the grass alive and ready for sports use.

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How six trays take the turf underground

The turf is segmented into six trays of 1,500 tons, totaling 9,000 tons of natural grass. Each tray moves automatically to the underground, ensuring security and integrity of the field while the stadium transitions from sports mode to a space for cultural and corporate events.

The automated transport prevents damage and increases the durability of the turf, expanding the use of the stadium without compromising the quality of the field for official matches.

Why the grass needs ventilation, irrigation, and light

The maintenance of the underground lawn requires control of temperature, humidity, and light. Ventilation ensures air circulation, irrigation maintains proper hydration, and artificial lighting reproduces sunlight to support grass growth.

The information was released by Sports Business Journal, a publication specialized in sports business, highlighting that each tray functions as an underground mini-greenhouse, preserving the field even when not in daily use.

How Real Madrid transformed the stadium into an event machine

The Hypogea system allows the stadium to be converted for different types of use in less than five hours. This transforms the Bernabéu into a space for concerts, fairs, and conventions, increasing revenue and utilizing the space in an unprecedented way.

The technology maintains the natural lawn in high quality, ensuring that football matches continue under ideal conditions while the stadium takes advantage of new event opportunities.

O sistema Hypogea permite converter o estádio para diferentes tipos de uso em menos de cinco horas — The Hypogea system allows the Santiago Bernabéu stadium to be converted for different types of use in **less than five hours**.

Why this type of solution is expensive and rare

Retractable solutions like Hypogea require advanced engineering, complete automation, and sophisticated maintenance. The construction of the underground chamber and the movement of the trays represent high investments, rare in stadiums around the world.

The high cost reflects the complexity of maintaining a perfect natural lawn while expanding the use of the space, an innovation that combines civil engineering and cutting-edge technology.

The Santiago Bernabéu shows that it is possible to unite tradition and modernity, transforming a historic stadium into a multifunctional arena with preserved lawn. With Hypogea technology, Real Madrid maintains sports excellence and multiplies the use of the space for various events.

Do you think this retractable lawn technology could be applied in Brazilian stadiums to increase revenue and events?

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While Brazilian stadiums take weeks to change the turf, the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid stores six trays of 1,500 tons in less than five hours and transforms the field into a stage, increasing revenue and event capacity.

The natural turf of the Santiago Bernabéu is protected in underground trays, allowing shows, matches, and events without compromising quality and expanding the stadium’s use

What is Hypogea

How six trays take the turf underground

Why the grass needs ventilation, irrigation, and light

How Real Madrid transformed the stadium into an event machine

Why this type of solution is expensive and rare

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While Brazilian stadiums take weeks to change the turf, the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid stores six trays of 1,500 tons in less than five hours and transforms the field into a stage, increasing revenue and event capacity.

The natural turf of the Santiago Bernabéu is protected in underground trays, allowing shows, matches, and events without compromising quality and expanding the stadium’s use

What is Hypogea

How six trays take the turf underground

Why the grass needs ventilation, irrigation, and light

How Real Madrid transformed the stadium into an event machine

Why this type of solution is expensive and rare

Mother and daughter build a 70 m² house with more than 8,000 discarded glass bottles and impress with their creativity; known as the Casa de Sal, the property is located on Itamaracá Island, in Pernambuco.

Workers were opening a new road connection near the Marginal Tietê when they found, in the underground of the construction site, remnants of locomotives, wagons, and boilers from the 19th century linked to the forgotten history of Lapa.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

China has deployed snake-shaped robots to slide along power lines, where they have already inspected over 130 kilometers of cables using cameras and sensors to detect damaged wires, worn-out parts, and overheating.

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