All the new San Siro stadiums that never materialised From Populous' Cathedral to Boeri's International Forest Stadium
Countdown for San Siro, a stadium destined for demolition after the decision of the Milan City Council to sell the facility and surrounding areas to AC Milan and Inter for around 170 million euros. "A historic and decisive step for the future of the city" reads the joint statement from the two clubs, which also emphasizes that "the Clubs look with confidence and responsibility to the next steps of the process that will lead them to build a new stadium that meets the highest international standards: a world-class facility destined to become a new architectural icon for Milan and a symbol of the passion of football fans around the world".
AC Milan and Inter have commissioned the architectural firms Foster + Partners and MANICA to design the new stadium. Currently, there are no official renderings or images; the only photos that have been circulated since the decision to go ahead with the project was made come from the Project Alternative Feasibility Document. These images are purely indicative and do not constitute design elements. The initial idea is to build a 71,500-seat stadium, with construction scheduled to begin in 2027 and completion in time for the 2032 European Championships.
Joint projects
A new San Siro, therefore, for Milan, with the feeling that this time things are serious and that the issue will not end up as nothing, as has happened in the past. For example, in September 2019 the two clubs held a joint conference to present two projects for a new facility. One, "Gli Anelli di Milano", was designed by Manica-Cmr Sportium and envisioned a circular structure reminiscent of Madrid’s Metropolitano, where two rings intertwined along the exterior. The second, "La Cattedrale", was designed by the architectural firm Populous: a rectangular structure inspired by the Stade Atlantique in Bordeaux and resembling a modern art museum. The two clubs chose this as the official project, but rising construction costs and issues related to creating green areas, along with political delays, collapsed the entire plan before it could reach any official step.
AC Milan’s proposals
Not only joint projects—over the years AC Milan and Inter have often considered building a stadium independently. In 2015, AC Milan, pushed by then-CEO Barbara Berlusconi, reached an agreement with Fondazione Fiera Milano to build a new stadium in the Portello area, with the Rossoneri covering the costs for all land reclamation work. The idea was to build a stadium next to Casa Milan, the club’s headquarters, but in the end nothing came of it. "I believe many negative evaluations and considerations intervened, so I imagine that the feeling of affection I have for San Siro will prevail", declared Silvio Berlusconi to close the matter. The more recent project to build a new stadium in the San Donato area also remained only on paper, despite the club—this time under current owner Gerry Cardinale—having even purchased the land.
Inter’s plans
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Of course, Inter has also considered building a stadium to become the exclusive home of the Nerazzurri, without sharing it with their Rossoneri cousins. In 2008, then-president Massimo Moratti commissioned a project from Stefano Boeri for a stadium in the Bovisa area, which never got past the drawing stage. That same year, partly due to Milan being awarded Expo2015, there was renewed talk of a new stadium in the Rho-Fiera area. A multifunctional facility similar to the Johan Cruijff Arena or the Allianz Arena, which was supposed to open in 2012/13 but never even produced a rendering. Erick Thohir, who succeeded Moratti both as president and club owner, presented a renovation plan for a San Siro exclusively for Inter, another project that never got past the press release stage. More recently, when it seemed Inter and Milan could not reach an agreement on the management of the new San Siro, the Nerazzurri considered building a new stadium on the outskirts of Milan, seriously evaluating the areas of Sesto San Giovanni and Rozzano.
The Bosco Stadium
Among the many prototypes of stadiums dubbed New San Siro that never saw the light of day, the most peculiar was undoubtedly presented by Stefano Boeri. After the first joint venture with Massimo Moratti, Boeri created a second project—this time not exclusively for Inter—for the competition launched in 2019 by Inter and Milan for the new Milan Stadium. The project was called Bosco Stadium and drew on the concept of the Vertical Forest designed by Boeri himself. In detail, the facility was designed to host 5,700 square metres of horizontal green roofs, 7,000 square metres of green façades with 3,300 trees and 56,300 shrubs of 70 different species. A project that, in addition to this green vision, also included commercial areas but did not even make it past the first selection, discarded without too many regrets by AC Milan and Inter.
