Generali Stadium, Foster: “Monumental and Milanese, it is one of the most important stadiums of my career”

The architect Norman Foster, 91 years old, gave an interview to the Gazzetta dello Sport to illustrate his vision for the Generali Stadium, the new facility intended for Inter and Milan.

On the structural character of the work, Foster explained: “The X-shaped concrete structure has the advantage of being efficient and visually satisfying. The portico has large openings, it fits into the tradition of arcades and I believe that subconsciously it was inspired by some works of Pier Luigi Nervi. It functions as support for the corridors and the roof, giving character and identity. This makes the stadium different from the others.”

The architect then described the project as one of the pinnacles of his career: “It’s difficult to answer, but I believe it is an emblematic stadium. The defining elements will be the refinement and the structural model that supports the entire building. The expression of this structure is the architecture itself: it is a characteristic of many historic buildings and is also a distinctive feature of many types of constructions I have worked on with my colleagues.” Two adjectives to describe the facility? “Monumental and Milanese.”

On the future of San Siro, Foster took a nuanced position: “Instead of trying to incorporate some element of the old stadium’s memory into the new one, I would like us to be able to demonstrate the possibility of preserving a much more substantial part of it, as part of the redevelopment project for the entire area. I would like to explore much more deeply the possibilities for preserving the stadium, but this is part of the work that awaits us.”