ROME (Reuters) – A new stadium inspired by the design of Milan’s Duomo cathedral will become the new home of AC Milan and Inter Milan, replacing the 95-year-old Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
The project named ‘The Cathedral’ was unveiled on Tuesday and will be run by Populous, the architecture firm behind London soccer grounds such as Wembley Stadium, Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Inspired by two of Milan’s most famous buildings, the Duomo di Milano and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the new stadium will be set in a pedestrian-only area with over 110,000 square metres of green areas.
A final project is expected to be presented in 2022 and the new ground is expected to have a capacity of around 65,000, a reduction from the current 80,000-seater arena which is also known as San Siro.
“The new San Siro will be the most beautiful stadium in the world for its strong identity and recognisability. An attractive arena, accessible and sustainable for the city of Milan that will facilitate the growth of the clubs and their global competitiveness,” said AC Milan President Paolo Scaroni.
Images of the planned project show that the new stadium will be constructed adjacent to the current San Siro, while the old ground will be mostly demolished but remain part of the new stadium district.
(Reporting by Alasdair Mackenzie, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
