FC Barcelona obtains BREEAM certificate for Espai Barça

FC Barcelona has obtained BREEAM certification for the Espai Barça project, which recognises that the actions carried out to date have surpassed the sustainable urban development requirements that BREEAM @ES URBANISM accredits. Sustainability is one of the three pillars of the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan: economic and governance, sports, and social and environmental. In accordance with this approach, the club is working to promote sustainable development in all of its areas of action, including Espai Barça.

The certification was officially presented in the presidential box at Spotify Camp Nou in the run-up to yesterday's match against Mallorca, which included the farewell to the stadium before the bulk of the reconstruction work begins. Joan Laporta, president of FC Barcelona, was joined by Jordi Portabella, director of the Sustainability Area, Javier Torralba, director of BREEAM in Spain, and Carlos Calvo, general director of the Technological Institute of Galicia (ITG), who, under an agreement with BRE Global Limited, is organisation in Spain that controls the methodology for the certification of sustainability in construction.

Sustainability is the essence

Espai Barça has been recognised with this certification in consideration of such aspects as acoustics, water (with the aim of achieving savings of more than 1/3 in consumption), environmental issues (increasing green areas to 18,182.10 m2) and energy (renewable generation of electricity for matches), among others. Sustainability principles have been established for the entire process, including urban development, construction of buildings and all phases of operation and subsequent maintenance.

Different studies have also been carried out in the field of mobility, with a significant improvement observed in public transport and more sustainable vehicles such as bicycles and electric scooters.

BREEAM certification

BREEAM® was the first sustainability certification for buildings in the world and is currently one of the most recognised sustainability seals worldwide and a leader in Europe. It promotes a more sustainable construction that has an impact on resource-savings in such areas as as energy, water and materials, while also improving the well-being of the surroundings and enhancing the environmental parameters for all the people linked to the life of a building.