2023-07-18 14:08:12
Barcelona “Pay attention to your emotions”, Barça’s director of communications warns us as the journalists enter the service tunnel at the confluence of the south goal and the Camp Nou grandstand. The warning is not exaggerated. The image is etched on the retina: it is an apocalyptic Camp Nou. Where there was pitch grass there is now gravel, fences, debris and trucks. And, if you look up, you discover that half of the third tier of the stadium has been demolished – from the south goal to the middle of the side – and that there are practically no seats left in the structures that remain standing. Anyway, they still hold some of the yellow ones that formed the motto “More than a club” in the second stand of the side. Three huge cranes working inside the stadium and two working from outside complete the impressive scenery.
“Now there are around 400 people working on the site and there will be between 1,800 and 2,000 when the stadium structure starts to be built next year,” reports Joan Sentelles, operations director of Espai Barça. to the media present during the visit. But before that, from this autumn until January, he explains that there will be “a tip of a truck entering the Camp Nou every two minutes”. At the moment, during the demolition phase (excavation and foundation will come later), one will arrive every six minutes. “To reduce the impact on traffic in the area, we have drawn up a mobility plan with the City Council. The entrances and exits of the trucks will mostly be carried out along Avenida Joan XXIII and Avenida Doctor Marañón”, he continues explaining Sentelles. “They will only enter through Travessera de les Corts on very specific occasions,” he adds.
extreme heat
The visit, in which the club has not allowed photographs or videos to be taken, took place this Tuesday morning, one of the hottest days of the summer. The mandatory helmet, vest and boots that we journalists had to wear for safety reasons did not help to allow the body to cool down properly. It is the same clothing that the hundreds of workers of Limak, the Turkish company in charge of the remodeling of the Camp Nou, have to wear day after day during the working days. Those most exposed to the weather are those who work in the stands of the stadium and on the pitch. There is no shade to protect them and some try to soften the impact of the sun by wearing a turban under their helmet. On the other hand, others move through the trampolines of the venue or through outdoor areas where the same gigantic structure of the Camp Nou contributes to attenuating the heat a little through the shade.
“Working hours must be between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. from Monday to Friday, and within this range the schedules and shifts are adapted according to weather conditions,” a Limak source told ARA , on the measures taken by the company due to the heat. In addition, he informs that “the operating hours of the machinery are between 8 and 8 p.m. Any exception must be requested, justified and approved by the district of Les Corts” .
Works are progressing well
“In general, we are following the forecast of the works,” says Luis Moya, the director of Espai Barça’s technical office, during the visit. “So far we haven’t had any major setbacks,” he points out. Thus, the club remains convinced that part of the public will be able to return to Camp Nou in November 2024, to celebrate Barça’s 125th anniversary there. The next striking visual change that the remodeling of the Blaugrana stadium will undergo will be the dismantling of the tribune marquee, which is already being dismantled from the inside, which will end in a fortnight. To make this work possible, the underground car park on the esplanade, which is now a skeleton without flesh, has been being demolished for weeks. “The dismantling of the canopy is one of the key elements and, for that reason, it is one of the first actions,” explains Moya.
The unbridled heat means that there are fewer curious people than usual watching the Camp Nou works from outside the venue. But the remodeling has been noticeable. “Emotionally, it’s a shame to see the Camp Nou like this. I’ve been passing the Travessera de les Corts sidewalk twice a day for 20 years,” comments a neighbor. On the other hand, the works have attracted the presence of youtubers that narrate the process. “We have detected two or three that come almost every day,” reports a club source.
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