Client
SaniBrun Construcción Modular
Location
Rock legends Guns N’ Roses were headlining a huge concert at San Mamés, the home of football club Athletic Club in Bilbao, Spain.
The challenge
A legendary band that makes as big a noise as they do doesn’t travel light. That means a big logistical challenge for us and our partner Paco Norman and his SaniBrun Construcción Modular team. Building a stage on this million-pound sports surface needed to be done carefully. But that’s easier said than done when you’re working with a stage that could weigh up to 700 tonnes. The team was tasked with protecting the pitch and giving access to workers, vehicles and equipment. This included three cranes to build the stage, each with five axles or more and weighing up to 15 tonnes. Bear in mind that San Mamés, like most prestigious football pitches, has heating pipes just six inches below the surface. Protecting the surface during the build is paramount.
Our solution
For this job, the team used the heavyweight temporary road system AlliTrax. The beauty of this system is that it allows vehicles access to a place or on a surface where they’d never normally be allowed, because protection wouldn’t be guaranteed. With AlliTrax, the load is spread, as each panel distributes loads across a wider area than the point of contact. It doesn’t matter if the touchpoint is a crane tyre or the surface area of the static loading: the pitch is safe, and so are the workers. Once the floor is down, everything is good to go.
Outcomes
The event was a big deal for the stadium and the community; and Guns N’ Roses arrived to find their fans – and the venue – ready for an unforgettable experience. By utilising proven, heavy duty flooring systems such as AlliTrax, professional sports grounds can use their space to diverse and great effect. With the playing surface properly protected, sports clubs can explore different revenue streams and stage big ticket events.
“It was great to work with John, Gary and The Box Group team. The concert was a great success and we returned the pitch to Atletico Bilbao in perfect condition.“
Paco Norman, MD, SaniBrun Construcción