The installation of natural grass at Nou Sardenya is technically viable, despite the fact that the stadium has a parking lot underneath and requires specific waterproofing. This is defended by Joan Josep Isern, architect and former president of CE Europa, who maintains that the adaptation is manageable with the current structure of the Gràcia venue.
The debate arrives while Europa plays its matches in Can Dragó since the month of January, in a context marked by the requirement to play on natural grass. Isern links that regulation to the Spanish Football Federation and to the current president of the Catalan Federation, Joan Soteras, for his time at the head of the Primera RFEF.
An action focused on the pavement and the waterproofing
The proposed intervention involves removing the artificial turf, reviewing and repairing the points where there may be leaks, and then installing a layer of topsoil between 15 and 20 centimeters. That base would entail an approximate load of about 200 kg per square meter, a magnitude that Isern considers compatible with the existing structure.
"It is absolutely manageable with the structure it has underneath" - Joan Josep Isern, architect and former president of Europa
The architect recalls that the Nou Sardenya already has waterproofing precisely due to the presence of the car park under the playing surface. In his opinion, that point reduces the complexity of the operation, since it would not force the execution of a new solution from scratch, but rather to review and reinforce the already existing one in the areas that need it.
"Theoretically no, because theoretically Narcís Sala should not have waterproofing, because underneath it does not have an installation. Europa does, but Europa already has it. The waterproofing is already done. It would be very good to review this waterproofing to guarantee what is happening now, that there may be some leakage at some given moment, but it is a problem it already has now and, therefore, the extra cost it may have is simply the review" - Joan Josep Isern, architect and former president of Europa
The most suitable calendar to make the change
Isern places between April and September the most advisable window to undertake the transition from artificial to natural turf. That period would allow the work to be executed and favor the implementation of the new surface in better conditions.
In its assessment, the existence of spaces under the playing field does not pose a technical impediment for this type of reforms. In fact, it insists that it is a solution fully known in the field of sports architecture.
"Let's not forget that the Madrid pitch has eight floors below the stadium and it is an absolutely assumable technical fact that any pitch, even if it has a lower floor where there can be a parking lot or a gym, can have natural grass on the surface. Technically, it is 100% achievable" - Joan Josep Isern, architect and former president of Europa
With that approach, the former president of the club maintains that the transition to natural grass at Nou Sardenya does not clash with a structural limit, but with an execution and calendar decision. The key, he points out, would be to review the existing waterproofing and prepare a sufficient soil base to support the new surface.