Espai Barça on show at the Smart City Expo World Congress
Running from Tuesday to Thursday this week alongside Tomorrow.Building, the Smart City Expo World Congress included a presentation by FC Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, and FC Barcelona finance director, Manel del Río. It covered several topics regarding the Club's project, and was titled "Espai Barça: Open to the City, Open to the World”. Both their presentations included discussions about some of the main aspects that will make the project a benchmark and fulfil a collective dream for all Barça fans, along with its legacy for future generations of Club members and fans.
FC Barcelona's president began by stating that "Barça is the most successful football club in the world" and explained that "Espai Barça is vital to keep FC Barcelona at the forefront of world sport, and a foundation for the Club's economic recovery and future income generation. Joan Laporta emphasised that the project "is essential for the continuity of the governance model, whereby the Club is owned by its 144,000 members". He also highlighted Espai Barça's uniqueness, explaining that it is "the most significant project in the world of sport and entertainment, with an investment of 1.5 billion euros, on 18 hectares of land in a central location of a city like Barcelona, and with a 350,000 square metre roof”.
However, looking beyond the economic aspects, the FC Barcelona president also emphasised the social side to the project. "We want a new space in order to keep winning, with closer connections to the neighbourhood and the city, making it convenient for members and every fan, raising our international profile in sport, entertainment and sustainability", said Joan Laporta, adding that "sustainability is a key priority, making the future Spotify Camp Nou a pioneer in its field, using the latest generation technology".
Manel del Río: "The ‘green bonds’ proved very beneficial when raising the €1.5 billion financing for Espai Barça"
During his speech, FC Barcelona finance director, Manel del Río explained to the audience that “Espai Barça is more than just a redevelopment, it's something that current members are giving to their children and grandchildren. We are proud of our assets and this project is a true representation of what FC Barcelona is all about”.
Del Río focused on the project's financial aspects, conveying that the Club is “very proud of what has been achieved", mainly for two reasons, the FC Barcelona finance director stating, "firstly, the structure is unique both in terms of how adaptable it is and its size, and secondly, by how it was set up". Along the same lines, he also highlighted the importance of the 'green bonds' when obtaining financing for the Espai Barça project, as they are only accessible after specific sustainability requisites are fulfilled.
Lastly, Del Río concluded his speech by discussing one of the project's main aspects, namely sustainability, explaining that the Club "has identified that being sustainable means a significant reduction in potential electricity costs and water use". He gave the example of how much the Stadium's electricity bill was prior to the redevelopment and how much the future Spotify Camp Nou will consume, stating that “it used to cost us 1.2 million euros and we have the chance to knock that figure down to €0 with the new Spotify Camp Nou".
