Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

Work got under way this month and will end in October. The project is being funded thanks to the return from the tourist tax applied to entrance tickets for the Park Güell.

The municipal sports centre in El Carmel is located in an area of excavated rock, surrounded by woodlands near Park Güell. The outdoor space consists of two full-size pitches and 7-a-side pitches, both with artificial grass, along with the surrounding stands, changing rooms and a café.

Work will be carried out on the rectangular playing area, replacing all the artificial turf which was originally laid in 2007. The pitches cover a surface area of 4,762 m² and are used intensively, with training and competitions by the football school filling every afternoon and the weekends.

Improvements to the area in 2016

After the turf was laid in 2007, some uneven patches on the playing surface were detected, leading to a thorough analysis of the geography of the subsoil in 2009. The study found that underground water may have caused some movements in the make-up of the natural terrain.

Because of this, as part of the work around the Park Güell promoted by B:SM in 2016, improvements were made surface water run-off, drainage channels and the perimeter around the pitch. However, due to some vertical deformations to the pitch, water has still been found to accumulate when there is heavy rain.

Installation of new artificial grass

The first stage entails dismantling the sports facilities (goals and netting) to clear the pitch of obstacles so that the current turf can be removed. To minimise the environmental impact of the waste material, the old plastic turf and granules from the pitch will be recovered and partially reused.

The second stage or the work will come once the original turf is gone and consists of the demolition or the existing asphalt and improvements to the base for the pitch. A layer of coarse sand and double mesh will be laid to prevent puddles forming in the case of heavy rainfall. At the same time, to extend the pitch and maximise compliance with safety regulations for the edges of the playing area, the pitch will be widened by 1,30 metres on both sides and a strip of 2.24 metres left for spectators to access and exit the stands.

A new drainage channel has also been installed to replace the old perimeter grid. The artificial grass comes in rolls of 4 metres. The white playing lines are inserted to mark the full-size pitch, with yellow lines to mark two further 7-a-side pitches and blue lines of the American football pitch.

Revamp to the Carmel municipal sports centre

Besides the work to replace the turf, work will also be done to renew the changing rooms. This work is set to be funded by the Neighbourhood Plan.