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?

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

With billions in loans, China is rebuilding Nigeria’s railway network from scratch, abandoning the British colonial tracks that have turned to scrap and creating a corridor of over 1,300 km to take the load off the roads of Africa’s largest economy.

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

Austrian engineers have developed an inflatable concrete technology that transforms flat slabs into domes using only air pressure, eliminating scaffolding and temporary forms, and potentially changing the way bridges, tunnels, and curved roofs are constructed worldwide.

Australia prepares to dredge 96.5 million m³ in Moreton Bay to deepen, widen, and realign channels of the Port of Brisbane, in a project of up to 25 years designed to accommodate larger ships and enhance maritime safety and regional port efficiency.

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