milan's san siro is imagined as a monument to the victims of COVID-19

florence born architect, angelo renna, shares his idea of transforming the legendary san siro stadium into a place of commemoration in memory of the victims of COVID-19. in italy, almost 35,000 people have died during the coronavirus pandemic and the city of milan has been one of the main epicenters. with plans already underway to demolish the football stadium, which was first built in 1926, this project seeks to save the structure while remembering those who have sadly lost their lives to COVID-19.

the 35,000 cypresses will surround visitors entering the stadium

all images by angelo renna

angelo renna proposes to transform the existing grandstands into green terraces and plant 35,000 cupressus sempervirens (also known as italian cypress) along the new retaining walls. the cypress is a common ornamental tree cultivated for millennia throughout the whole mediterranean region. the dark green vertical shape is a characteristic signature of cemeteries and sacred spaces, like a symbol of immortality, or an emblem of life after death. the intricate and thick crown of this species also provides a habitat for birds, dormice, squirrels, lizards, and many other animals.

the stadium and the 35,000 cypress trees

the project also proposes the complete demolition of the roof to allow natural light and rainfall to hit the ground. new programs will be placed underneath the grandstands: a museum, a research center, ateliers for students and researchers. at the bottom, a new concave shape of the pitch will allow the possibility to collect rainwater, creating water zones (wadi). the water will be collected in underground tanks and reused for irrigation and cleaning purposes. in case of heavy rainfall, the wadi area will flood, supporting the biodiversity of different species of flora and fauna.

the existing grandstands will transform into green terraces to allow trees to be planted

with almost 80,000 seats, san siro is one of the largest and most important stadiums in the world. construction began in 1926 in the suburban district of milan named san siro. the architect, ulisse stacchini, designed a private stadium only for football, without athletics tracks, which characterized italian stadiums built in that period. from 1948 to 1955, engineers armando ronca and ferruccio calzolari developed the project for the second extension of the stadium, which increased the capacity to 60,000 seats and 25,000 standing. the last major renovation for san siro, which cost $60 million, was that of 1987-1990, for the 1990 fifa world cup. it was decided to modernize the stadium by increasing its capacity to 85,000 spectators and building a cover.

the new entrance to the museum placed underneath the grandstands – the museum will reflect on milanese lives during the COVID-19 pandemic

today AC milan and inter-milan have launched their bid to knock down the stadium and build a new 60,000-capacity home on the same site. the municipality has been divided over the project and requested the opinion of italy’s heritage authorities. according to the report, which was recently released, ‘the property named ‘giuseppe meazza stadium (san siro) has no cultural interest and as such it is excluded from the protection provisions’. although approval from italy’s heritage body is not the final decision, it could be an important step towards the complete demolition of the building.

a new entrance connecting the stadium with the hippodrome on the side

proposal phases

san siro in 1950 – archive picture

project info:

project name: san siro 2.0 – monumento per la vita

architect: angelo renna

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom