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AC Milan is continuing with determination the process of creating a new state-of-the-art stadium. The Club has completed the first formal step – in view of the potential future submission of a full project plan – as it presented to the San Donato Milanese town council an Urban Development proposal for the “San Francesco” area.
The objective of the proposal is to generate significant value for the area, which would then benefit from a sustainable and integrated development, thanks to a series of upgrade works. These include the creation of a new “Gate to Milan” to the South, an East-West connection from San Donato to the Chiaravalle Abbey and its parks, easier usability and services for the Parco Sud, and orderly access to the possible future site.
The proposal also aims to create a single infrastructure hub in the Milan area (railway, metro, motorway) in an urbanised area with a previously approved Integrated Intervention Plan (I.I.P.), while simultaneously regenerating a derelict urban site that is not easy to resolve. In particular, a key factor of the proposal is the promotion of sustainable mobility and public transport with improvement works on the existing infrastructure network, which would involve the railway station, the metro station and the road network, as well as a new system of pedestrianised walkways and cycle paths.
In terms of the total size of the massing, the request for Urban Development lists the same gross surface area of 108,000 m2, already guaranteed by the I.I.P approved in 2021, for a space dedicated largely and most notably to sporting activities, with a variety of multifunctional facilities and services set within 235,000 m2 of green space, compared to the approximately 80,000 m2 of the previous proposal.
The Club has entrusted CAA ICON, a leading international project management and strategic advisory firm, to carry out the implementation of the project, while MANICA, one of the world’s most prestigious architecture studios, will be the Design Architect tasked with developing plans for a new stadium and the entire entertainment district.
The project hypothesis for the new stadium – the concept of which can be presented at a later stage of the planning process and is therefore not the object of the document presented today – is to construct an innovative, sustainable and multifunctional facility, which can accommodate around 70,000 spectators.
The project aims to build the most sustainable stadium in Italy and one of the most sustainable in Europe by attaining LEED Gold certification, utilising energy-saving measures and using renewable energy sources, as well as implementing a water recycling system. It will also become a benchmark for accessibility, ensuring that fans with disabilities can watch matches safely from all sections of the ground. In order to guarantee supporters a comfortable and exciting experience, the design will include spacious seating, close proximity of the stands to the pitch, and a wide range of food & beverage concessions.
Alongside the stadium, the project hypothesis also sees the facility hosting the new Club Museum, an AC Milan store, the Rossoneri’s new headquarters, a hotel, and an entertainment district, as well as an Energy Centre for the production of sustainable power. The synergy of all of these elements would characterise an area of great architectural and urban value, with a vast array of services, events and cultural programmes to serve the local and wider community.
Paolo Scaroni, AC Milan’s Chairman, said: “For over four years, we have embarked with conviction on a journey aimed at giving our Club one of the best stadiums of the world, which is able to accompany us into a victorious and sustainable future. This represents a preliminary step in the evolution of this process but, at the same time, it is further proof of our ownership’s commitment to guaranteeing continuous growth for AC Milan both on and off the pitch.”
