Populous' Cathedral: a new home for Inter and AC Milan

FC Internazionale Milano and AC Milan are delighted to announce that Populous' project – named “The Cathedral” – has been selected for their new stadium. The coming weeks will be dedicated to finalising the objectives and development process of Milan’s New Stadium. 

The decision announced by Comune di Milano last November sees a reconfiguration of the area in the San Siro neighbourhood, currently occupied by the Meazza Stadium, through the creation of a new district dedicated to sport and leisure. The new district will include a new 50,000m2 green area, on top of a reduction of built volumetry in line with the latest regulations (as regulated by City of Milan Land Planning Scheme or “Piano di Governo del Territorio”).  

The district will be pedestrian-only, with over 110,000m2 of green areas (40% of the total square footage). The car park, which represents 27% of the total area in the current scheme, will be moved to a dedicated underground area. Most of the sport and leisure activities – located both indoors and outdoors – will be free-of-charge or affiliated with the City of Milan (“convenzionato”).

Following the decision of Comune di Milano, the Clubs sped up the process to finalise the choice of Populous and kick-off the next phase of the project, which will be carried out in the next months with the aim to present a final project at a later stage in 2022.   

Populous has 21 offices on four continents, with over 800 employees. Over the last 38 years, the practice has developed more than 3.200 sport-focused projects, giving life to some of the world’s most iconic sporting arenas, including Wembley Stadium, the main stadiums for the Sydney 2000 and London 2012 Olympic Games, the Emirates Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, as well as the Yankee Stadium in New York, the Groupama Stadium in Lyon and the Estadio Da Luz in Lisbon. In 2021, the new Populous-designed Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and is set to be the first-ever net zero carbon arena in the world.

The new San Siro will be designed by Populous’ Milan office with the support of their EMEA team in London. A multidisciplinary team will lead the project, which is set to increase the opportunities and services offered to the residents with an improvement in the quality of the urban fabric of the neighbourhood.

The Cathedral is a celebration of the artistic and cultural heritage of Milan. Its design was inspired by two of the most famous buildings in the city – the Duomo di Milano and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele – and will result in a unique stadium that will stand out from any other sporting arena in the world.

“The Cathedral” will be ground-breaking in terms of innovation and sustainability. The new stadium, surrounded by a large green area, will be carbon neutral and LEED-certified, thanks to the use of the most innovative materials and cutting-edge technologies in terms of water and electricity usage, as well as noise control. The stadium’s accessibility and user experience will also be outstanding, offering unprecedented safety, comfort and sightlines, as well as a range of new public services.

FC Internazionale Milano and AC Milan have confirmed their desire to deliver an outstanding project, which will generate new job opportunities, regenerate a key urban area in the city, and create a new green area of over 50,000 sqm for citizens. The project aims to consolidate and improve the image of the City of Milan and of Italian football.

Alessandro Antonello, Corporate CEO at FC Internazionale, says, “The New Stadium of Milan will be in an extra-contemporary green area that can be lived all year round. The new district for sport and leisure and its 50.000sqm park will make San Siro the go-to neighbourhood for sport and entertainment.”  

“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,” commented Paolo Scaroni, President of AC Milan.

“The Cathedral is set to become one of the most iconic stadiums in the world. It will be a modern home to legendary clubs FC Internazionale Milano and AC Milan and will become the heart of a new neighbourhood. It will celebrate the cultural heritage of Milan and it will be enjoyed by the Milanese population for many generations to come. A stadium of Milan and for Milan,” commented Christopher Lee, Managing Director EMEA at Populous.