Opening of Atletico Madrid's New Stadium

The Wanda Metropolitano, built by FCC, opens its gates in Madrid today as Atletico Madrid's new home - and the world's first football stadium to be lit exclusively with LEDs.

The new stadium occupies a total area of 88,150 sq. meters and has been designed with a capacity of more than 68,000 general and VIP fans.

In addition, Wanda Metropolitano boasts more than 1,000 parking spaces for fans within its perimeter, and 3,000 outdoor parking spaces.

The state-of-the-art sports complex was designed by architects Cruz y Ortiz, and boasts novel concrete finishes and ample interior space that is optimised to facilitate the mobility of fans.

Terraces are positioned to allow fans and spectators to be as close to the pitch as possible, with the stadium utilising T-shaped stand designs that combine lower stands formed of 28 tiers below and up to 13 tiers for VIPs with direct access from outside; and an elevated stand supported on a perimeter building of 32 steps where public entrances are located. FCC has also constructed a space with 94 boxes in the lower area of the elevated stand.

The stadium's cover requires a special mention as it consists of a 6,336 tonne steel structure tensioned with radial cables and united with a membrane that occupies an area of 83.053 square meters. Made up of 720 panels of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), the membrane weighs 92 tonnes. Covering the stands the roof will protect 96 per cent of the stadium's localities from rain: an unique element for a European sports facility.

Figures provided by FCC Group reveal that more than 2,881 workers participated in the project, supported by 7 tower cranes. More than 54 tonnes of cement and 4,200 sq. meters of glass were also used in constructing the stadium.

The new stadium is the first in the world to use LED technology exclusively for its lighting, transforming the skyline of the city of Madrid. More than 16 million colors will be projected during each game.

The new CEO of FCC Group, Pablo Colio, says: "from today our project becomes a benchmark for football pitches with the very latest systems. It is an example of integrating sustainable solutions to the service of the citizen".

Mr. Colio also expresses his gratitude to the entire team at FCC Construcción and FCC Industrial for their effort, involvement and commitment to delivering the project on time and expresses his gratitude to the City of Madrid, the Autonomous Community and other public institutions for their collaboration on the project. Further appreciations of thanks must also go to Atletico Madrid for cooperating and maintaining excellent communications to make the project a success.

FCC has delivered more than 25 large-scale facilities worldwide that have hosted major events in sports such as football, tennis, motorcycling and athletics. They include avant-garde, sustainable and functional facilities - as well as infrastructure works FCC Construcción has added value to through its technical and human capacity capabilities. The company uses efficient, innovative, solutions and the latest technology to guarantee success and set benchmarks in this area.