Architecture firm L35, one of three firms that will remodel Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu stadium, "has revealed some of the plans" for the project, according to FOOTBALL ESPANA. L35 VP Tristán López-Chiceri "unveiled some of the more unusual details" that will make the Bernabéu "one of the best stadiums in world sport." López-Chiceri said, "It'll be mixed use building [including hotel & retail] which also has football. The Bernabéu can’t be just an 'island' used on game days. It's a bigger stadium than seems [in the models]. A hotel will have to go in at the highest level as underneath will be the VIP boxes. We will not begin until the Spring/Summer of 2015 though." The 120-room hotel "will be part of the stadium," with the "very best rooms looking on to the pitch" (FOOTBALL ESPANA, 2/10). AS reported López-Chiceri said, "There will be no problems scheduling around games, but there will be a delicate phase which will be the installation of the roof. For this, we will need to have the stadium closed for three months, which is why we will do this in the summer." López-Chiceri "did admit that the club will have to find a way to move some season-ticket holders to different parts of the stadium during the project, which will last until 2018" (AS, 2/10).
