Those who think of world famous stadiums will quickly think of the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro or the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. The capital of Spain now has another attraction: the Estadio Vallehermoso, which can rightly be called the greenest stadium in the world. Not only the grass is green, but also the running track and the stadium building are pleasing due to different fresh shades of green. Estudio Cano Lasso Arquitectos was responsible for designing the stadium entirely in green.

The Estadio Vallehermoso has a capacity of 10,000 seats, Picture: Estadio Vallerhermoso, Estudio Cano Lasso

The recently reopened Estadio Vallehermoso (in English: stadium magnificent valley) is an athletics stadium in the heart of Madrid with a capacity of 10,000 spectators. In the 1970s it was used not only for athletics but also by the Rayo Vallecano football club as a venue for its home games. It was demolished in 2008 and, due to economic and financial crises, it took until 2017 before the 14.5 million euro reconstruction was actually started. In the summer of 2019 the construction was completed, so that for the first time in 12 years an athletics event was held there.

Brilliant finish

The running track, the functional buildings and the lawn are in different shades of green. Picture: Estadio Vallehermoso, Estudio Cano Lasso

The running track consists of two cast base layers of high-purity, self-levelling polyurethane resins with foamed EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer granules), which ensures the highest level of sports functionality. The wear layer consists of technically sophisticated polyurethane resins and granulates. As a finish, the alipathic sealant was built up in three layers to ensure the highest UV and weather resistance as well as the lowest possible contamination and cleaning effort. The Conipur M (or Full Pur) track in Vallehermoso was certified on site by the IAAF to Class 1. It also meets all requirements of the European standard EN 14877, the German standard DIN V 18035-6 and the American standard ASTM F2157-02.

Finally, the green colour scheme of the Estadio Vallehermoso was taken to the extreme by the colour scheme of the stadium building, which with three different shades of green forms an additional refreshing ensemble element. As a result, the architectural office ends up playing with five different shades of green: grass, running track and three buildings. There is no greener way.

Green is only one possibility

The raceway consists of polyurethane resins and foamed EPDM. Picture: Estadio Vallehermoso, Estudio Cano Lasso

The technology behind the career comes from the Swiss company Conica, headquartered in Schaffhausen, one of the global market leaders and innovation drivers in the industry. Conica has been developing raceways and innovative flooring solutions based on polyurethane and epoxy resins for 40 years. Ultimately, the process used also allows running tracks in all possible colours. (Stadionwelt, 15.10.2019)