Design & Development

FC Barcelona granted main licence for Camp Nou revamp

Featured image credit:

FC Barcelona has secured final approvals for its Spotify Camp Nou revamp, with Barcelona City Council having granted the main licence that will enable the LaLiga football club to complete remodelling work at the famous venue.

The licence gives Barcelona the go-ahead to press on with rebuilding work above and below ground as soon as possible, with the club having started demolishing the stands of the old venue at the end of last season.

The club now plans to progress as planned with the main phase of the project taking place during the current 2023-24 season, starting with the foundations and a new third tier, which will include hospitality facilities. The club unveiled its hospitality vision for the Camp Nou earlier this month, with the club working with Legends International on the offering.

There are also plans to build an underground car park and a new exhibition space in the coming months. Meanwhile, transport infrastructure upgrades have already been completed on one adjacent road, with similar work set to take place on three others imminently.

Barcelona said that the club and city council had been in regular dialogue following a meeting in May 2021. Following a second meeting in April 2022, Barcelona’s project team made changes to a number of aspects of the plans, including in relation to sustainability and accessibility.

The club will install 18,000 square metres of solar panels on the roof to generate the electricity required to power the lights on matchdays and the equivalent of 600 homes. The project is also exploring ways to reduce heating and cooling costs through undersoil green energy storage whilst reusing rainwater from the roof.

The Camp Nou’s overall capacity will expand from 98,000 to 105,000, with the project serving as the centrepiece of Barcelona’s wide-ranging Espai Barça venture. Barcelona will play its home matches at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys until November 2024 while the work is carried out.

Work on the Camp Nou revamp officially started in May and Barcelona has now presented a concept to “revolutionise” the hospitality experience at the stadium. The club said that VIP seating and sponsorship revenue will be its two main sources of income for the stadium revamp.

It emerged last month that Àlex Barbany, executive director of Espai Barça, would be leaving the club. Barbany joined Barcelona in March 2021, initially as chief revenue officer, and was appointed executive director of Espai Barça in April 2022.

Image: FC Barcelona