The design aims to bring spectators as close to the pitch as possible, with the stands behind the goals set at a steep 37-degree incline, said David Manica, a stadium specialist who collaborated with Foster on the project.
Inter and AC Milan unveiled their new “Generali Stadium” on Thursday, which will replace the iconic San Siro stadium from the 2031/32 season. It will be shaped “low in the body, and it rises up at either end” behind the goals, architect Norman Foster said during a press conference in Milan.
“The most important thing that we realised when we designed this project is that the San Siro is a feeling,” he said.
“We brought all the seats as close as possible to the field.
Manica said the design team “started with proximity”. They could not be any closer, it’ll actually feel as though you’re sitting on the grass,” he said. They also paid great attention to acoustics: the roof covers the stands, leaving only the pitch exposed, and is designed to “amplify the roar” of the fans, Manica said. “This building is steeper than many other new buildings are built today, and that’s intentional, because it allows us to bring those seats up and over the field as much as possible, and create that sense of intimacy and atmosphere,” he said. “I want the crowd to come to the new stadium and to feel that excitement that they felt before, and to feel the building, living and breathing with them as it does currently,” Manica said.
